Jurors have reached a verdict in the highly-publicized "hush money" trial of former US President Donald Trump.
Deliberations started on Wednesday (May 29), with 77-year-old Trump becoming the first former president to face a criminal trial.
The jury of 12 New Yorkers have now determined that Donald Trump is guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Per The Guardian, as Trump exited the courtroom, he addressed the cameras, denouncing the trial as "rigged" and "disgraceful".
He emphasized that the "real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people", referring to the upcoming presidential election.
Trump asserted that he is "very innocent, adding: "They know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here."
The former POTUS stressed that he is “fighting for our country” and “fighting for our constitution".
He then accused the Biden administration of orchestrating a "rigged" system to target political opponents, adding that they are trying to “wound or hurt a political opponent”.
"This is long from over," he declared before departing the scene.
Trump will be sentenced on July 11 at 10:00AM Eastern.
The former POTUS' attorney - Todd Blanche - requested mid-July from Judge Juan Merchan so that his legal team have time to focus on the upcoming pre-trial hearings in Trump’s other criminal case related to classified documents found in his Florida home.
Shortly following the verdict, the former president's son Donald Trump Jr reacted to the news on X (formerly Twitter), simply writing: "Such bull****".
Former President Donald Trump faced charges of business fraud linked to hush-money payments made to ex-porn actress Stormy Daniels.
The payments, totaling $130,000 (£104,500), were allegedly orchestrated by Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to secure Daniels' silence about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump prior to the 2016 election.
Prosecutors asserted that Trump directed Cohen to make the payments and then falsely recorded them in his company's financial records as legal expenses, concealing the true nature of the transactions.
While paying hush money itself is not illegal, the manner in which it was accounted for would constitute as election fraud.
Since the emergence of these allegations in 2018, Trump has consistently denied any sexual involvement with Daniels.
However, when she took the stand, Daniels gave an incredibly graphic testimony to the court - to the point where the judge had to step in and tell her to tone it down.
Testifying on May 6 under her legal name, Stephanie Clifford, 45-year-old Daniels claimed that she "swatted" Trump on the butt with a rolled up magazine with his face on.
Over the six-week trial, the jury heard from 22 witnesses. Several notable figures took the stand to testify, shedding light on various aspects of the case - some key names are:
Michael Cohen - Trump's former attorney, responsible for orchestrating the $130,000 hush-money payment to Daniels. During the trial, the defense sought to portray Cohen as a disgruntled individual with a vendetta against Trump, driven by personal gain and notoriety. Cohen, however, described Trump as a hands-on manager who was fully informed about the operations within his organization.
David Pecker - Former editor of the National Enquirer, who disclosed details about the "catch-and-kill" strategy employed to suppress negative stories about Trump leading up to the 2016 election. Pecker characterized this arrangement as a mutual understanding among associates.
Hope Hicks - Trump's campaign spokesperson during the 2016 election and a close confidante. Hicks came under scrutiny for her response to the release of the Access Hollywood tape, advising top campaign officials to adopt a strategy of denial.
Madeleine Westerhout - A former White House aide who testified about her role in drafting Trump's tweets. Westerhout revealed that she would prepare the tweets and present them to Trump for his review and editing, noting his preference for the inclusion of exclamation points.
Robert Costello - A lawyer and ally of Trump who provided legal counsel to Michael Cohen. Costello was a key witness for the defense; however, his demeanor during testimony drew criticism from the judge, who admonished him for apparent displays of frustration during objections.
Trump faced a total of 34 counts of fraud and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
