following the historical conviction of former President Donald Trump in the “hush money” trial in New York, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thanked the jury Thursday and said it did its job.
A jury of 12 New Yorkers found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. The verdict, handed down after a six-week trial, is historic as it makes Trump the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
Bragg did not decide whether he will ask the judge for a prison sentence, saying his team will speak instead in court filings. Trump is The sentence will be on July 11just four days before the start of the Republican National Convention where he is about to receive the party's nomination for the presidency.
“While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we have come to this trial and ultimately today to this verdict in the same way as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors Bragg said.
Prosecutors alleged that Trump authorized a scheme to falsify checks and related records to try to prevent voters from learning about an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels in 2006. The former president had pleaded not guilty to all charges and told reporters after the verdict was read that the trial was “misled” and the case was a “shame”.
Bragg began his remarks by thanking the 12 jurors and alternates for their service.
“First of all, I want to thank the jury for their service,” Bragg said. “Jurors fulfill a fundamental civic duty. Their service is literally the cornerstone of our judicial system.”
Faced with criticism from Trump supporters, Bragg said “the only voice that matters is the voice of the jury, and the jury has spoken.”
