Donald Trump slams ‘disgraceful’ and ‘rigged’ trial after being found guilty on all 34 counts over hush money payment

31 May 2024, 01:22 | Updated: 31 May 2024, 01:31

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

Donald Trump has insisted the verdict in his historic hush money trial was 'disgraceful' and 'rigged' after he was found guilty on all 34 counts over a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The former US President was found guilty on all counts of falsifying business records in relation to a hush money payment made to Ms Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.

The verdict means Trump has become the first US president in history to have been convicted in a criminal trial.

Reacting to the result, Trump labelled the trial "rigged" and "corrupt" and said it had been "done by the Biden administration".

“We have a country that’s in big trouble but this was a rigged decision right from day one with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case, never,” he said on the steps of the New York courthouse.

“And we will fight for our Constitution. This is far from over.”

But the Biden team hit back, saying the verdict shows that "no one above the law" and highlighted the "threat" Trump poses to US democracy.

Trump will be sentenced at 10am on July 11.

The former US President pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts, and denied any sexual encounter with Daniels.

It was the first ever criminal trial faced by a former or current US president.

Experts say the testimony of Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will have been pivotal to the jury finding the former President on all counts.

Read More: Trump slams ‘rigged’ and ‘disgraceful’ hush money trial, insisting he is ‘very innocent’

Reacting to the verdict, Cohen said: "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 and Joshua Kolb for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this process."

Trump's defence tried to convince they jury of 12 men and women that they could not trust Cohen, given that he is a convicted liar.

Read More: Can Donald Trump still stand for President? And could he go to jail? Hush money verdict explained

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says the case was pursued "without fear or favour" after he thanked "12 every day New Yorkers" who fulfilled their "fundamental civic duty".

"By following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favour," he said.

On Wednesday, the first day of deliberations, the jury asked to hear evidence and instructions again.

Jurors reached a verdict on day two of deliberations shortly after 4.30pm New York time (21:30, UK time).

The jury spent a total of 9.5 hours deliberating the charges over the course of the last two days before reaching its verdict.

US President Joe Biden's team has given its reaction after was Trump was found guilty, saying "no one is above the law".

"Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain," Biden's campaign communications director Michael Tyler said.

"But today's verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality."

"There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.

"Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president," Tyler continued.

"The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater.

"He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator 'on day one' and calling for our constitution to be 'terminated' so he can regain and keep power. 

"A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans' freedoms and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject it this November."

Back in the UK, reaction has been pouring in, including from Nigel Farage, who recently said he would not stand in the General Election in order to help his friend Trump.

"This verdict is a disgrace. Trump will now win big," Farage wrote on X.

How did the trial unfold?

The former president's lawyers called just two witnesses, including lawyer and former federal prosecutor Robert Costello.

The defence sought to use him to discredit prosecutors' star witness, Cohen, the Trump lawyer-turned-adversary who directly implicated the former president in the hush money scheme.

But the move may have backfired because it opened the door for prosecutors to question Mr Costello about a purported pressure campaign aimed at keeping Cohen loyal to Trump after the FBI raided Cohen's property in April 2018.

While Mr Costello buoyed the defence by saying Cohen denied to him that Trump knew anything about the 130,000-dollar (£100,000) hush money payment to Ms Daniels, Mr Costello had few answers when prosecutor Susan Hoffinger confronted him with emails he sent to Cohen in which he repeatedly dangled his close ties to Trump ally Rudy Giuliani.

In one email, Mr Costello told Cohen: "Sleep well tonight. you have friends in high places," and relayed that there were "some very positive comments about you from the White House".

Cohen largely kept his cool on the witness stand in the face of heated cross-examination by the defence, who tried to paint him as a liar with a vendetta against his former boss.

The curt, pugnacious Mr Costello, on the other hand, aggravated the judge - at times in view of the jury - but continued to speak after objections and rolling his eyes.

At one point, after sending the jury out of the room, the judge became enraged when he said Mr Costello was staring him down.

Judge Merchan then briefly cleared the courtroom of reporters and scolded Mr Costello, warning that if he misbehaved again, he would be removed from the courtroom and his evidence would be stricken.