GUILTY: Former president Donald Trump convicted of 34 felony charges
After a six week, historic trial, Donald Trump is convicted of thirty-four felonies related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover-up alleged extramarital affair.
New York, N.Y. – Donald Trump has been convicted of thirty-four felonies by a jury of his peers in the city of New York after an historic criminal trial. The former president faced felony charges levied by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office alleging he falsified his business records to cover-up $130,000 in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump was accused of tasking his “fixer”, Michael Coen, with paying off Daniels to stop her from releasing a story about an alleged 2006 extramarital affair between herself and Trump. Coen allegedly took out a loan against his home in 2016 to pay-off Daniels, and Trump, over the course of several months, paid back Coen by through false invoices and checks for legal services.
Throughout the six week trial, jurors heard from twenty-two witnesses, including Coen and Daniels, and reviewed evidence, like phone records and checks to Coen. During his testimony, Coen alleged that Trump was furious over the release of the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape, where the former president was caught on a hot mic saying, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Coen, recalling how Trump reacted to the Access Hollywood October surprise, told the court that the former president said “this is a disaster, this is going to be a disaster.” Shortly after the release of the tape, Daniels says she felt compelled to tell her story. Coen said Trump, speaking about the hush money payment, told him to “just push it out until after the election because if I win, it won’t be relevant. If I lose, I don’t care.”
The prosecution’s case relied on allegations that Trump ordered Coen to pay Daniels $130,000 to influence the 2016 election results. Whether or not Daniels’ story would have impacted Trump’s presidential run is something we may never know; but, we do know the jury believed Trump attempted to hide the payment in his business records.
On Thursday, May 30, twelve jurors returned their verdict in the hush money trial–guilty on all thirty-four charges.
Throughout the trial, Trump attacked the judge, the judge’s daughter, witnesses, prosecutors, and violated court ordered gag orders barring him from discussing the case.
Trump will be sentenced on July 11, where he could face community service, probation, home confinement, or prison time. After his sentencing, Trump will have 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision—something that his defense team will almost certainly do.
Is Trump the first president convicted of a crime?
In short, yes. Donald Trump is the first former president to be charged and convicted with a crime; however, he’s not the only president to face legal issues.
In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant was pulled over in Washington, D.C., for speeding. Ulysses paid $20–or over $500 today–in collateral to ensure his return to court; however, he failed to appear during proceedings, thereby forfeiting his “bail”.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon faced a potential impeachment inthe U.S. House of Representatives, and potential grand jury charges, after a break-in of the Democratic National Committee was tied to the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Nixon resigned before he could be officially charged or impeached, and his successor, President Gerald Ford, pardoned him.
Can Trump still run for president?
Yes—being a convicted felon is not a disqualifying factor in running for, or becoming, the President of the United States. A person seeking the presidency has just three requirements: 1) be a natural-born citizen of the United States, 2) be at least 35 years old, and 3) have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
Even an imprisoned person could, theoretically, become president. In 1920, Socialist Eugene Debs ran his campaign for the presidency from a federal prison in Atlanta. Debs came in third place during the general election, garnering 914,000 votes–or 3.41 percent of the vote.
Can Trump vote for himself in November?
Yes. Trump’s primary residence is in the state of Florida—a state known for restricting the rights of convicted felons to vote; but, Trump was not convicted in the state. When Florida residents are convicted with felonies outside of its borders, the state relies on the law of the state where the convictions were handed down.
According to New York law, where Trump has been convicted, felons are disenfranchised only when incarcerated. Before and after their time in prison, those with felony convictions retain their voting rights.
How will Trump’s conviction affect his bid for the presidency?
In short, it’s unclear. Some voters may feel empowered to support the former president as the Republican party has called this trial a “hoax”, “politically motivated”, and a “sham”. It may turn independent voters away from Trump; however, most of the country’s voters have likely already decided who they will support in November.
Republican parties across the nation, including in West Virginia, have parroted Trump’s accusations against the conviction–just as they did when the former president alleged misconduct in the 2020 election–in an attempt to raise money off the guilty verdict.
Donald Trump’s fundraising page crashed on Thursday after the jury returned their guilty verdict.
West Virginia GOP chairman Matt Herridge posted a video to Twitter calling the conviction a “show trial.” Herridge said the trial was highly politicized and urged Republican voters to donate to the state party and the Trump campaign. “While American people are seeing right through this, we all have to stand up and we all have to speak out,” Herridge said.
Governor Jim Justice, Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, said the conviction of Trump was “deeply troubling and [a] politicized decision that undermines the principles of justice.” He went on to say Trump has put “America First and fought for the values that make our nation great.” Justice encouraged readers to “chip in to fight back today.”
State Democratic party chair Mike Pushkin, minority whip Shawn Fluharty, and Del. Joey Garcia joked on Twitter that the conviction could spawn bipartisan support for lawmakers to restore convicted felons voting rights.
Fluharty said “Weird way to get people talking about whether convicted felons should be able to vote but here we are,” on Thursday night. Garcia responded, saying “Maybe we could get support for a bipartisan bill now.” Pushkin chimed in, saying he’s proud to say “rehabilitated” West Virginians can regain their right to vote.