The first former US president to be found guilty of a crime is Donald Trump.
Trump hush money trial: The verdict has made Trump the first criminally convicted former US president but has not prevented him from contesting for a second term.
Donald Trump has become the first former US president to be convicted of a crime after a New York jury found him guilty on all charges in the hush money case, just months before the election after which he could return to the White House.
The jury found him guilty on each of the 34 counts of manipulating business records to hide payments made to silence porn star Stormy Daniels. In theory he could be sentenced to four years on each count but is more likely to get probation.
The 77-year-old Republican, who was released without bail, is now a convicted felon – a historic and shocking first in a country where presidents are often described as the most powerful people in the world.
That hasn’t stopped Trump, however, from continuing his fight to unseat President Joe Biden in November — even if he has to go to jail. And he immediately objected.
“I’m a very innocent man,” Trump told reporters, vowing that the “real verdict” would come from the voters. He called the trial “rigged” and “disgraceful.”
In a statement, Biden’s campaign claimed that the trial demonstrated that “no one is above the law.” “Trump poses a threat to our democracy that has never been greater,” it continued.
Judge Juan Merchan set a sentencing date for July 11 — four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is scheduled to receive the party’s formal nomination
