President-elect Donald Trump
Trump makes history as first convicted ex-US President
A New York jury has found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — the first time a former U.S. President has been convicted of a crime, NBC News reports.
The verdict was read in the Manhattan courtroom, where Trump had been on trial since April 15.
He had pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election.
According to NBC News, Trump looked down with his eyes narrowed as the jury foreperson read the word “guilty” to each count. The jury reached its verdict after 9.5 hours of deliberations, which began Wednesday.
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The historic conviction came as Trump was the presumed Republican nominee for president. The judge thanked the jurors for their service in the weeks-long trial.
“You gave this matter the attention it deserved, and I want to thank you for that,” Judge Juan Merchan told them according to a report by NBC News.
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche made a motion for acquittal after the jury left the room, which the judge denied.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury in his closing arguments earlier this week that “the law is the law and it applies to everyone equally. There is no special standard for this defendant.” “You, the jury, have the ability to hold the defendant accountable,” Steinglass said.
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