John AdoyiNew York court in the United States has found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a criminal hush-money scheme designed to influence the 2016 Presidential election which he won. This marks the first time in US history that a former or sitting president has been convicted of any crime.
The charges against Trump stem from his efforts to suppress negative press during his 2016 campaign, specifically involving payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. After a six-week trial, the 12-member jury deliberated for Hours before reaching their decision. The trial featured testimony from 22 witnesses, including Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels herself and other Trump former employees and associates.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe case’s central issue involved reimbursements made to Cohen for a $130 Thousand (N173 Million 491 thousand) payment to Daniels, intended to keep her from going public with claims of a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Prosecutors argued that these reimbursements were falsely logged as legal expenses to conceal the true nature of the transactions.
Trump faces a potential sentence of up to four years in prison for each of the 34 counts, with sentencing scheduled for July 11, 2024. Despite the severity of the charges, legal experts suggest that Trump is unlikely to serve jail time and may instead face a substantial fine. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintains his innocence, calling the verdict a disgrace and vowing to continue his fight, stating, “We will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over.”
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Notably, this conviction does not prevent Trump from continuing his bid for the White House. The U.S. Constitution does not bar convicted individuals from running for office, and as the BBC reports, a person could even run for president while in prison. The requirements to become an American President are to be at least 35 years old, a natural-born U.S. citizen, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
In response to the verdict, President Biden’s campaign team emphasized the principle that no one is above the law. Michael Tyler, the Biden-Harris campaign Communications Director, stated, “Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain.”
As the nation grapples with the implications of this landmark decision, the political landscape remains as turbulent as ever, with Trump’s legal battles and presidential aspirations set to intersect in unprecedented ways.
Trump will be looking to turn this verdict in his favour as he is hoping to use this to attract voters on the ground that he is being targeted by the Democrats who is hoping to beat in the US presidential election come November
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