America’s First (Former) Felon-in-Chief
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 30.Seth Wenig/Getty Images
A New York City court found former U.S. President Donald Trump guilty on Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business recordsrelated to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The payments, disguised as legal fees to lawyer Michael Cohen and totaling $130,000, were made to conceal actions that Trump believed could have hurt his chances in the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first U.S. president—former or current—to be convicted on criminal charges.
“This was a disgrace,” Trump said upon leaving the courthouse. “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt.” Trump repeatedly violated a gag order barring him from speaking publicly about the trial during the case, with Justice Juan Merchan eventually finding him in contempt of court and fining Trump $10,000 for 10 such remarks.
Merchan announced that Trump can remain at liberty without bail. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, in which the former president could face years in prison or another form of private incarceration, house arrest, or probation. July 11 is just four days before the Republican National Convention is set to begin, at which Trump will likely receive the party’s presidential nomination. Constitutional experts say a conviction does not disqualify Trump from running for reelection in November.
Trump’s legal team is expected to appeal the guilty verdicts, which could postpone Trump fulfilling his sentence, potentially even until after Election Day passes.
Trump is also facing three other criminal cases. In federal court, he stands accused of conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including his support of Capitol rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, and the mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office. He is also facing a state case accusing him of conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, in which he lost by a slim margin.
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