Trump trial: Biden calls Trump's remarks 'dangerous'

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.


Trump guilty on all 34 counts


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Trump's tweets were a message not to cooperate, state says

After Michael Cohen implicated Trump in the hush money scheme in August 2018, Trump was "furious," prosecutor Josh Steinglass told the jury.

"His fixer had done the unthinkable, and Trump immediately went on the attack -- an attack that continues to this day," he said.

Steinglass showed a tweet Trump posted the following day: "If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don't retain the services of Michael Cohen!"

"This is the day after he pled guilty," Steinglass said.

Steinglass argued that Trump's tweets after Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 were warning messages to other potential witnesses who could cooperate against him.

"These tweets were not only designed to punish Cohen," Steinglass said. "Cooperate or you will face the wrath of Donald Trump," was the message they conveyed.

Steinglass described a "vexatious and punitive lawsuit" Trump filed against Michael Cohen and a defamation suit against Stormy Daniels as evidence of his punitive means against people who epoks out against him.

After a series of sustained objections regarding Trump's tweets and their alleged impact on Cohen's safety, Judge Merchan smiled and told the jury, "This might be a good time to take our last recess of the day."


Michael Cohen lied for Trump, prosecutors say

Steinglass attacked defense attorneys for attempting to undermine Cohen's testimony using his past statements defending Trump.

"Cohen continued to deny wrongdoing. For several months, he continued to lie for the defendant," Steinglass said about Cohen's statements in 2018. "Using them now to undermine Cohen -- to undermine his credibility -- takes chutzpah."

Steinglass called it "disingenuous" for the defense to use Cohen's lies against him, when the lies in this case were allegedly "told at the defendant's direction."


Prosecutor slights Robert Costello's testimony

"You guys good to keep going?" prosecutor Josh Steinglass asked the jury after a brief sidebar. They nodded and some smiled.

"All right!" he exclaimed, and launched back into his closing, turning to Trump's alleged efforts to get Cohen not to "flip."

"Whatever else you think about Michael Cohen, it's clear that he was the defendant's fixer. And like all fixers, Cohen knew where the bodies were buried, and it was essential to keep him loyal," Steinglass said.

Steinglass touched on Cohen's communications with his onetime legal adviser Robert Costello -- the only substantive defense witness -- to emphasize that Cohen did not trust Costello and lied to him.

Costello testified that Cohen told him that Trump was not involved in the Daniels' hush money payment before he almost got kicked off the witness stand for irking the judge.

"Cohen never really trusted Costello and can you really blame him?" Steinglass asked. "You saw Costello testify."

"He displayed nothing but disdain for this court and proper decorum and his demeanor on the stand is something you can take into account … when assessing his credibility," Steinglass said.


Hope Hicks' testimony was 'nail' in Trump's coffin, says prosecutor

Prosecutor Josh Steinglass again showed the jury the summary chart the DA's office prepared, which outlines each of the allegedly falsified business records.

Steinglass suggested the jury could bring the chart into deliberations if they request it.

He harped on the testimony of former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, who testified that Trump preferred the Stormy Daniels story come out after the election.

"I think Mr. Trump's opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election," Hicks testified before breaking down on the witness stand.

"She basically burst into tears ... because she realized how much this testimony puts the nail into the defendant's coffin," Steinglass told the jury.

Steinglass pressed his argument that the Stormy Daniels payments were in service of the election, rather than Trump's marriage. Any desire to protect his wife was "far less significant to him" than how a negative story about him might affect the 2016 election," Steinglass said.

"The payment was for Trump's campaign," Steinglass stressed.

"It was a campaign contribution, and Cohen knows that better than anyone else -- because he went to prison for it," he said.


Verdict breakdown by count

Former President Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to hide a hush money payment to boost his prospects in the 2016 election. Here are each of the records he was charged with falsifying, and the verdict for each.

1) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Feb. 14, 2017 - GUILTY

2) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust on or about Feb. 14, 2017 - GUILTY

3) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust on or about Feb. 14, 2017 - GUILTY

4) A Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust Account check and check stub dated Feb. 14, 2017 - GUILTY

5) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Feb. 16, 2017 and transmitted on or about March 16, 2017 - GUILTY

6) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust on or about March 17, 2017 - GUILTY

7) A Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust Account check and check stub dated March 17, 2017 - GUILTY

8) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated April 13, 2017 - GUILTY

9) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about June 19, 2017 - GUILTY

10) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated June 19, 2017 - GUILTY

11) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated May 22, 2017 - GUILTY

12) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about May 22, 2017 - GUILTY

13) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated May 23, 2017 - GUILTY

14) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated June 16, 2017 - GUILTY

15) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about June 19, 2017 - GUILTY

16) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated June 19, 2017 - GUILTY

17) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated July 11, 2017 - GUILTY

18) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about July 11, 2017 - GUILTY

19) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated July 11, 2017 - GUILTY

20) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Aug. 1, 2017 - GUILTY

21) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about Aug. 1, 2017 - GUILTY

22) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Aug. 1, 2017 - GUILTY

23) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Sept. 11, 2017 - GUILTY

24) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about Sept. 11, 2017 - GUILTY

25) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Sept. 12, 2017 - GUILTY

26) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Oct. 18, 2017 - GUILTY

27) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about Oct. 18, 2017 - GUILTY

28) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Oct. 18, 2017 - GUILTY

29) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Nov. 20, 2017 - GUILTY

30) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about Nov. 20, 2017 - GUILTY

31) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Nov. 21, 2017 - GUILTY

32) An invoice from Michael Cohen dated Dec. 1, 2017 - GUILTY

33) An entry in the Detail General Ledger for Donald J. Trump on or about Dec. 1, 2017 - GUILTY

34) A Donald J. Trump account check and check stub dated Dec. 5, 2017 - GUILTY