Trump hush money trial: Trump found guilty on all counts in historic case
Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been convicted on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
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Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Biden calls Trump's remarks 'dangerous'
In an address from the White House, President Joe Biden said Donald Trump's criticism of the judicial system in the wake of his criminal conviction yesterday is "reckless" and "dangerous."
"The jury reached an unanimous verdict that found him guilty on all 34 felony counties. Now he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity," Biden said. "That's how the American system of justice works, and it's reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say it was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."
"It was a state case, not a federal case, and it was heard by a jury of 12 citizens," said Biden, who made the remarks at the beginning of an address on the status of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"Our justice system has endured for nearly 250 years, and it really is the cornerstone of America," he said. "Our justice system and justices should be respected. We should never allow anyone to tear it down. That's America. That's who we are, that's who will always be, God willing."
"The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed," Biden said of yesterday's verdict.
Trump calls judge 'tyrant,' slams Cohen without naming him
Former President Trump, speaking from Trump Tower the morning after his historic felony conviction, slammed witness Michael Cohen while calling the judge in the case a "tyrant."
"We're going to be appealing in many different things. He wouldn't allow us to have witnesses, he wouldn't allow us to talk, he wouldn't allow us to do anything," Trump said of Judge Juan Merchan. "The judge was a tyrant."
Of Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, who testified for the prosecution, Trump said, "This was [once] a highly qualified lawyer. I'm not allowed to use his name because of the gag order. He is a sleaze. Everybody knows that. Took me a while to found out."
Trump, who still remains to be sentenced on July 11, remains under the limited gag order that prohibits him from attacking witnesses in the case as well as jurors and attorneys other than Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.
"This should have been a non-case. Everybody said it was a non-case," Trump said.
Trump attacks judge a day after his conviction
Donald Trump, speaking from Trump Tower, lodged a litany of complaints about his conviction yesterday on criminal charges, attacking the judge in the case, the DA who brought it, his former attorney who testified against him, and the charges themselves.
"We had a conflicted judge, highly conflicted. There's never been a more conflicted judge," he said of Judge Juan Merchan.
"You saw what happened to some of the witnesses that were on our side," Trump said. "They were literally crucified by this man who looks like an angel, but he's really a devil. He looks so nice and soft. People say, 'Oh he seems like such nice man' -- unless you saw him in action."
"It's a rigged -- it was a rigged trial," Trump said, repeating his oft-stated baseless claim.
Trump to hold press conference at Trump Tower
The morning after his historic felony conviction, former President Trump is set to address reporters at an 11 a.m. ET press conference.
Trump will speak from the atrium of Trump Tower, just feet away from the golden escalator he rode down in 2015 when he kicked off his first bid for president.
Now, nearly nine years later, Trump is expected to address to his conviction and the legal battle he faces amid his third presidential bid.
Campaign officials and some supporters are also expected to be present.
Prosecutor says AMI agreement was to 'serve the campaign'
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass rehashed the phone call that then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker said he had with Trump about the Karen McDougal payment.
During the phone call, Pecker testified that Trump expressed skepticism about the hush money payment.
"Mr. Trump said to me ... 'I don't buy stories.' And he said, 'Anything you do anything like this, it always gets out,'" Pecker testified.
"He thought that these stories always get out and I guess he was right about that," Steinglass told jurors.
"Their motivation was to serve the campaign -- that's what makes this a catch-and-kill" the prosecutor said.
Michael Cohen was Trump's "liaison" to Pecker, "conveying Mr. Trump's instructions every step of the way," Steinglass said.
"Critical here is Pecker's acknowledgement that he never intended to publish the story under any circumstances … Pecker was willing to sacrifice AMI's bottom line in service of the campaign," said Steinglass, emphasizing that that AMI's $150,000 payment to Karen McDougal was not standard operating procedure for the National Enquirer.
Steinglass told jurors that Pecker thought the story, if true, was "National Enquirer gold" -- yet he would not have run the story to help Trump.
"Pecker was willing to sacrifice AMI's bottom line in service of Donald Trump's campaign," Steinglass said. "This deal was the very antithesis of a normal press function."