EDITOR’S NOTE: VIDEO IS OF DONALD TRUMP TALKING WITH
REPORTERS AFTER HE LEFT THE MANHATTAN COURTROOM WHERE THE
TRIAL TOOK PLACE AND VERDICT WAS ANNOUNCED. VIDEO
FROM CNN NEWSOURCE.
The jury in the Manhattan trial of Donald Trump for falsifying business records in connection with the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels has found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts. When asked, Trump attorney Todd Blanche said he wanted each jury member polled. Each jury member when asked said that the verdict was theirs. Judge Juan Merchan thanked the jury for their service and said that he would meet privately with each juror but would not discuss any part of the case with them. Sentencing was scheduled for July 11 at 10 a.m. Prosecutors said there would be no bail requested.
“This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by conflicted judge who is corrupt,” Trump said after court ended. “This was a rigged disgraceful trial. The real verdict will be by the people November 5th. I’m a very innocent man. I’m fighting for our country, I’m fighting for our Constitution. The whole country is rigged now. We’ll fight to the end and we’ll win because our country has gone to hell. We have a divided mess.”
Trump went on to blame the Biden administration for being responsible for the trial, repeating an allegation he had made before but for which he has failed to provide any evidence.
The gag order imposed by Judge Merchan on Trump remains in effect. Under the gag order, Trump was forbidden to intimidate jurors or witnesses and family members of Judge Merchan and prosecutors.
After the jury had finished announcing their verdict that Trump is guilty on all 34 counts, Trump’s face was reported to be red. He had been looking at the jurors as they announced their verdicts. None of the jurors appeared to make eye contact with Trump and some were looking at the ground while the polling was taking place. The jurors were reported to have had blank expressions on their faces during the proceeding.
The jury had been reported shortly after 4 p.m. to be preparing the necessary paperwork prior to returning to the courtroom where the verdict was to be read and the jury polled. The jury was entering the courtroom at 5:04 p.m., and observers said that none of them looked at Trump. The six alternate jurors also were in the courtroom. Trump’s son Eric was in the courtroom, sitting behind his father. After the verdict, Trump stood and went over to Eric and shook his hand. Eric patted his father on the back. Eric was was the only Trump family member in the courtroom for the verdict. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg also was in the courtroom. Judge Merchan had said earlier in the day that he planned to release the jury at about 4:30 this afternoon.
Donald Trump’s defense team had been hoping that the trial would end with an acquittal or hung jury but the fact that the jury said there was a verdict indicated that the hung jury scenario was not going to happen. The jury had to decide on a verdict for each of the 34 counts with which Trump was charged and each unanimous verdict was “guilty.” Further details as they become available.
