Trump guilty of falsifying business records; Daines calls verdict a “sham”
Erik Uebelacker
MANHATTAN (CN) — A New York City jury on Thursday convicted former President Donald Trump on all 34 counts accusing him of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money scheme related to his 2016 presidential run.
The historic case came to a close after a day and a half of deliberation by the 12 Manhattan jurors who ultimately concurred the prosecutors’ argument that Trump conspired to bury negative stories about his presidential campaign then used phony documents to cover his tracks.
“This was overt election fraud,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said during summations.
Trump is the first president, current or former, to face criminal charges. Sen. Steve Daines, a Montana Republican and Trump ally, called the verdict a "sham."
“This verdict is a sham and the American people know it. Democrats weaponized the justice system and held a trial worthy of a banana republic. The judge, who is a donor to Joe Biden's campaign, displayed extreme bias and this verdict should be overturned on appeal in order for justice to be served.”
The government's star witness was Michael Cohen, Trump’s fixer-turned-foe who testified that Trump directed him to pay hush money in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her from telling the press that she had sex with Trump in 2006.
Cohen said he orchestrated that and similar payments to protect Trump’s presidential campaign from the billionaire’s salacious past — and Trump had a warning for Cohen after announcing his presidential run.
“Be prepared. There’s going to be a lot of women coming forward,” Trump said, according to Cohen's testimony.
But it was the deal with Daniels that ultimately caught prosecutors’ attention. They claim Trump fudged records to repay Cohen for handling the $130,000 payment to keep her quiet.
Daniels also testified at trial, telling jurors that she was “ashamed” to have sex with Trump nearly two decades ago.
She recalled in vivid detail the 2006 encounter — which Trump vehemently denies — telling jurors that Trump showed no interest in keeping it a secret until he decided to run for president years later.
Both Daniels and Cohen were forthcoming about their current disdain for Trump, which the former president’s lawyers pounced upon in efforts to discredit their respective testimonies.
Throughout the trial, Trump repeatedly attacked the integrity of the proceedings, claiming them to be “rigged” against him. He accused the case’s judge, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, of being bought and paid for by President Joe Biden.
“Mother Teresa could not beat these charges,” Trump declared to reporters when jurors started deliberating.
The Missoula Current added the quote for Sen. Steve Daines to this story.