A New York jury has convicted former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony charges of fabricating business documents to try to hide election law breaches after he bought porn star Stormy Daniels’ quiet just before the 2016 election. Trump disputes Daniels’ claims that she had a sexual encounter with him.
Trump reasserts innocence in NY hush money case
Trump has made several inaccurate and deceptive claims on the case and trial in recent days in remarks he has made on social media, in rallies, and outside the courtroom. Without providing any supporting evidence, Trump has maintained that the prosecution of this case is being led by President Joe Biden. Biden has no authority over this issue; it is a state of New York matter. He made up the story that Merchan “wouldn’t let” Bradley Smith, an expert on campaign finance, be called as a witness by Trump’s legal team. The court restricted Smith’s possible topics of testimony, but he did not rule that Smith could not testify. Incorrectly, Trump claimed that the judge would not accept a “advice of counsel” argument. Trump’s lawyers declined to pursue this kind of defense prior to the trial, and Merchant upheld their choice.
Former President stands firm on hush money denial
Furthermore, he has said that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “didn’t want to bring the case,” and that all legal experts had concluded that this case “shouldn’t be brought.” Certain legal analysts felt that the hush money case against Trump was “strong,” and Bragg stated that he didn’t want to launch a more comprehensive financial crimes prosecution until it was “ready.” The jury deliberated for the first time on May 29 and rendered its decision the following day. The Manhattan district attorney’s office filed the indictment. “This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump declared to reporters upon the release of the guilty judgment. The date of sentencing is July 11. Trump has stated on several occasions, devoid of proof, that Joe Biden should lead this case’s prosecution. Biden has no authority over state-level attorneys.
Trump repeats claims in ongoing NY trial
Before the case’s final arguments on May 28, Trump told the media, “Make no mistake about it, I’m here because of crooked Joe Biden.” “He has weaponized this solely.” The day after, Trump declared, “Joe Biden handled everything.” Joe Biden was aided by this judge. “This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent,” he stated following the guilty conviction.
| Claim | Reality |
| Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pursuing the case as a “witch hunt” and a “con job” in order to further his political career. | The case is being prosecuted by Democrat Bragg, but the allegations are based on proof of a true conspiracy to use illegal tactics, including as business record fraud, to influence the 2016 election. All 34 criminal counts against Trump were found guilty by the jury in unanimity. |
| Political campaigns frequently have an agreement with the National Enquirer to find, buy, and censor negative articles about Trump. | Non-disclosure agreements are frequently used by campaigns, but the evidence demonstrated that this was an illegal plan to sway the outcome of the election by fabricating financial records. Trump was found guilty by the jury on all counts in unanimity. |
| Stormy Daniels received $130,000 for ongoing legal services under a verbal retainer arrangement; a documented retainer agreement did not exist. | The evidence demonstrated that the payment’s genuine intention of influencing the election was concealed by having it fraudulently disguised as legal costs. Nine of the eleven cheques that reimbursed Cohen for the payment were personally signed by Trump. |
| The judge ought to dismiss the case. | After just two days of deliberation, the jury unanimously found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts, demonstrating the strength of the evidence. |
Hush money trial: Trump maintains no wrongdoing
The Manhattan district attorney, Bragg, filed the 34-count indictment in this case. In addition to asserting without evidence that Biden is behind the case, Trump has stated that the federal government” examined the matter and “turned it down. Trump has also been charged by the federal government on several counts, including his attempts to stay in office after losing the 2020 presidential election and his handling of confidential materials after leaving office. However, Biden has denied any participation in those instances, and they are unrelated to the New York hush-money matter. Trump’s claim that Judge Juan Merchan, the one sitting on this case, is connected to Biden is based on a $15 donation Merchan made to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
