NEW YORK: A New York jury on Thursday found former US President Donald Trump guilty of forging documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Trump after the jury’s decision has become the first US president to be convicted of a crime.
The 12-member jury after two days of deliberations, announced that it had found Trump guilty on one of the 34 counts he faces.
A conviction on any of the 34 counts could result in up to four years of jail, though legal experts suggest that as a first-time criminal, jail time is unlikely for Trump.
The verdict comes at a time when Trump, the Republican candidate, will try to win the presidential election against Democratic President Joe Biden.
Trump denies charges
Trump, 77, has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to appeal the decision of the jury.
It is pertinent to mention that imprisonment would not prevent Trump from campaigning, or taking office if he wins.
Opinion polls show Trump and Biden, are in a tight race, and that a guilty verdict could cost Trump some support from independent and Republican voters.
The trial spanned nearly five weeks and featured testimony from over 20 witnesses. Trump chose not to testify to avoid potential legal risks and cross-examination.
However, he found it difficult to remain a passive defendant, especially during Daniels’ graphic testimony about their alleged encounter.
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Trump’s then-fixer Michael Cohen testified that Trump agreed to a $130,000 hush money compensation to Daniels in the last weeks of the 2016 election.
Cohen told the court he handled the payment, and that Trump approved a plan to reimburse him through monthly payments disguised as legal work. Trump’s lawyers questioned Cohen’s credibility, highlighting his criminal record and imprisonment and his history of lying.
Trump has always complained that he could not get a fair trial in his Democratic hometown.
According to experts Trump, if elected, could close the two federal cases that accuse him of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents after leaving office in 2021. But he would not have the power to stop a separate election-subversion case taking place in Georgia.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases and has termed his legal woes as an effort by Biden’s allies to politically hurt him.
