NEW YORK — In a historic verdict, former President Donald Trump has been found guilty by a 12-member jury in the criminal hush money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The case, which captured national attention, centered on allegations that Trump orchestrated illegal payments to silence women with potentially damaging information during his 2016 presidential campaign. The jury deliberated for more than 11 hours before reaching a unanimous decision, finding Trump guilty on all 34 charges.
The jury’s guilty verdict marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president has been convicted of a felony crime, adding a significant chapter to the already tumultuous post-presidential period for Trump.
A verdict by the jury came fast and sudden. Judge Juan Merchan first announced that the jurors would be leaving by around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. At 4:36, Merchan announced the jury had come to a verdict.
“Are we ready to bring out the jury?” Merchan said. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass responded, “Yes, judge.”
Merchan denied Trump’s move for an acquittal of the charges and set a sentencing hearing for July 11, days before the Republican convention.
After the verdict was read, Trump was standing unmoved, with his arms held straight and looking down. He spoke to reporters outside the courtroom and decried the trial as “rigged” and “a disgrace.”
“Our whole country is being rigged right now,” Trump said. “This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent.”
The crowd outside of the courthouse was mostly composed of local New Yorkers, many of whom told the Washington Examiner they believed the jury’s decision was in accordance with the law.
“I feel really good about the verdict because no one is above the law,” Brooklyn resident John Lee told the Washington Examiner as he held a “Lock him up!” sign in the park outside of the New York City Criminal Court building.
Bragg, the elected Democrat who pursued the case with vigor, had revived misdemeanor charges that were beyond the statute of limitations by bringing them as felonies with the claim that Trump falsified documents while committing an additional crime. Although Trump was not charged with an additional crime, prosecutors successfully convinced the jury that Trump had falsified the records in an illegal effort to influence the 2016 race.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution called 22 witnesses and showcased a series of documents and financial records that sought to paint Trump as the cause of the false business entries. Key witnesses included Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, who provided what he said were insider details about the payments and their intended purpose.
Cohen released a statement following the verdict, saying “Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law.”
“While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters. I want to thank my attorneys [Danya Perry] for her invaluable guidance and support throughout this process,” Cohen said.
Trump appellate attorney Will Scharf said the former president’s team would “speedily appeal,” adding that the verdict only proves “Joe Biden and his allies have weaponized our legal system to persecute their principal political opponent.”
“We will speedily appeal, and we will win on appeal because this case is meritless, baseless, and should have never seen the inside of an American courtroom,” Scharf added.
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Trump, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read.
Congressional Republicans stood by Trump on Thursday, including Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said, “This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”
GOP Sens. J.D. Vance (OH) and Marco Rubio (FL), both considered contenders to be Trump’s running mate, stood up for Trump following the decision, with Rubio describing the verdict as an effort by the “deranged Left” that “will stop at nothing to remain in power.”
Vance said the “partisan slant of this jury pool shows why we ought to litigate politics at the ballot box and not in the courtroom.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) shared an image on social media of an upside down flag, a sign that is used to signal dire distress.
Before the verdict, jurors had asked to rehear testimony related to a 2015 Trump Tower meeting between Trump, Cohen, and former National Enquirer chief David Pecker, where prosecutors say they hatched a plan to influence the results of the 2016 by burying negative stories.
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Just hours later, the jury was ready to deliver a verdict.
Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference Friday at Trump Tower at 11 a.m. local time in the atrium of the building, according to a post on Truth Social.
