- “This decision will inevitably be thrown out by an appeal, but the damage will be done. A political opponent will have grounded a presidential candidate and branded his candidacy. This is beyond outrageous. The rule of law has long served as the foundation for our country, but today, a dark, new chapter has been opened." US Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC
Thursday was a historic day as former President Donald Trump became the first former president convicted of a crime in the history of the United States.
After two days of deliberation, a Manhattan jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump had pleaded not guilty on all counts.
Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of 4 years or a maximum of 136 years.
The charges stemmed from allegations that Trump falsified records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to silence her about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.
Trump is expected to appeal the charges.
“This was a disgrace,” Trump told reporters moments after the verdict was read. “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people.”
Even though he has been convicted, it doesn’t prohibit him from running for president.
When a recent Carolina Journal poll asked how Trump’s current legal challenges affected North Carolinians’ likelihood of voting for him, 9.4% said they made them less likely to vote for Trump, 41.5% said they never intended to vote for Trump, and 36.8% said these legal challenges make them more likely to vote for Trump. Three-quarters of voters who cast their ballot for Donald Trump in 2020 said the legal challenges make them more likely to vote for Trump.
A further breakdown showed that, given his legal battles, 69% of conservatives report that they are more likely to vote for Trump, followed by 71% of registered Republicans and 31% of registered Independent/other voters, while 16% of Independent/other registered voters report that they are less likely to vote for him.
While there has been no official word from The White House or President Joe Biden, there has been plenty of reaction to the verdict across social media, including from North Carolina elected officials. As expected, it comes along party lines.
“Two things are very clear today: number one, in the United States of America, no one is above the law, and number two, Donald Trump should never be placed in a position of power ever again,” Democratic Congressman Wiley Nickel, NC-13, said on X “Now if Republicans had any backbone, they would get rid of him, they would jump ship, they would abandon him for someone with honor and integrity who’s not a convicted felon, but that’s not gonna happen.”
“This is how our legal system is supposed to function,” said Congresswoman Deborah Ross, D, NC-02, on X. “A jury of his peers deliberated the facts and came to this unanimous decision. The bottom line is that no one is above the law.”
Republican US Sen. Thom Tillis released the following statement.
“I am shocked by the verdict considering that this case should have never been brought forward,” he said. “From the beginning, it was clear that a radical, politically-motivated state prosecutor was using the full weight of his office to go after President Trump at the same time he turned a blind eye to violent criminals. I expect and hope that President Trump will appeal this verdict to address fundamental questions, including whether President Trump received a fair trial and whether the Manhattan D.A. even had jurisdiction on a federal election matter.”
Fellow Republican US Sen. Ted Budd also said on X that the verdict was a “total disgrace.” adding, “If Americans can be found guilty of a crime based on underlying allegations that were never charged, all of our Constitutional rights are at risk.”
“To curry the favor of political allies, DA Bragg took it upon himself to engage in brazen legal alchemy that has set a very damning precedent – the verdicts levied against President Trump are steeped in partisan animus,” Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, R, NC-05 said in a press release. “This decision will inevitably be thrown out by an appeal, but the damage will be done. A political opponent will have grounded a presidential candidate and branded his candidacy. This is beyond outrageous. The rule of law has long served as the foundation for our country, but today, a dark, new chapter has been opened – one where judicial warfare is given a higher priority than fairness.”
“A sham trial with a sham outcome,” said Republican candidate for North Carolina Attorney General and Congressman Dan Bishop, NC-08, on X. “The American people will have the ultimate verdict when they vote President Trump back into office in November.”
Despite the verdict, Trump has vowed to keep fighting, telling reporters after the verdict, “We didn’t do anything wrong. I’m a very innocent man. And it’s okay. I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now.”
A new video released after the verdict on Donald Trump’s Jr. Instagram page documents his father’s trial and ends with the following statement:
“The only verdict that matters is the verdict at the ballot box.”
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Trump’s website crashed, after supporters inundated it with donations.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he is expected to be formally nominated as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.