Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts in his New York criminal hush money trial, making him the first former US president to be convicted in the country’s history.
The jury held deliberations for two days. The Jury has set July 11 for his sentencing. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan allowed him to remain free without any need for bail.
The case centred on allegations that he falsified business records to hide a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Prosecutors initially alleged that the former president falsified the records to conceal unlawfully interfering in the 2016 presidential election through the $130,000 hush money payment.
The trial lasted for over six weeks against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump’s conviction marks another historic moment, with an uncertain impact on the 2024 presidential election.
After the 12-member jury started deliberations on Wednesday, Donald Trump, while talking to the media, said, “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole country’s a mess between the borders and fake elections and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can’t breathe.”
The 77-year-old said: “It’s a disgrace. And I mean that. Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do.”
According to strategists, quoted by The Hill, said: “It is to Trump’s benefit to create a narrative that the case is stacked against him, lowering the bar in the event he is convicted or allowing him to declare victory against a rigged system in the event he is found not guilty.”
“So I’ll stay around here. This is five weeks and five weeks of really essentially not campaigning, although I took a big lead in the polls over the last few weeks,” he said.
“Something is going on. Because I think the people of this country see that this is a rigged deal.”
What will happen now
Since the trial of Donald Trump commenced last month, people started wondering about the future of the business mogul who had been indicted four times in different cases.
Trump was first indicted last year in March for his alleged hush-money payment to an adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016, during his maiden bid for the White House.
However, Donald Trump can still run for the White House despite being convicted.
Ilya Somin, a professor of law at George Mason University was quoted by The Hillas saying: “It is certainly true that being convicted or even being in prison doesn’t prevent you from running for president or even from being elected.”
“Assuming the office, though, would be a difficult situation if the president were in prison.”
Richard L Hasen, who is a law professor from the University of California Los Angeles has told CNN that the Republican still has a path to serving as president should he win reelection in 2024.
“The Constitution has very few requirements to serve as President, such as being at least 35 years of age. It does not bar anyone indicted, or convicted, or even serving jail time, from running as president and winning the presidency,” Hansen said who is an expert on election law.
Nevertheless, the ambiguity remains about a president serving in jail.
“How someone would serve as president from prison is a happily untested question,” Hasen said.
Hansen also said that Trump can pardon himself if reelected.
“Whether he can do so is untested. The Supreme Court may have to weigh in,” Hasen said, adding that Trump could “potentially appeal a conviction to the conservative Supreme Court.”