Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime on Thursday when a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
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00:00 Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime on Thursday when
00:06 a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence
00:11 a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
00:15 After two days of deliberation, the 12-member jury pronounced Trump guilty on all 34 felony
00:21 counts he faced.
00:24 While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial
00:32 and ultimately today at this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes
00:38 through the courtroom doors, by following the facts and the law and doing so without
00:44 fear or favor.
00:47 Justice Juan Merchant set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican Party
00:52 is scheduled to formally nominate Trump for president ahead of the November 5 election.
00:58 Seventy-seven-year-old Trump has denied wrongdoing and his attorney said they would appeal as
01:03 quickly as possible.
01:05 This was a rigged, disgraceful trial.
01:08 The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people.
01:14 They know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here.
01:18 We have a sole respect DA and the whole thing, we didn't do a thing wrong.
01:23 I'm a very innocent man and it's okay.
01:28 I'm fighting for our country.
01:29 I'm fighting for our Constitution.
01:32 The crime of falsifying business documents carries a maximum sentence of four years in
01:37 prison, though those convicted often receive shorter sentences, fines, or probation.
01:45 Prosecution would not legally prevent Trump from campaigning or taking office if he were
01:49 to win.
01:51 He will not be jailed ahead of sentencing.
01:54 The verdict plunges the United States into uncharted territory ahead of the November
01:58 election, where Trump aims to reclaim the White House from Democratic President Joe
02:02 Biden.
02:03 The case had been widely regarded as the least consequential of the four criminal prosecutions
02:08 Trump faces, but the verdict looms large now as it is likely to be the only one before
02:14 the election, with the others delayed by procedural challenges.
02:18 The jury found Trump guilty after a five-week trial featuring explicit testimony from porn
02:23 star Stormy Daniels about a sexual encounter she alleges occurred in 2006 while Trump was
02:29 married to his current wife, Melania.
02:32 Trump denies ever having sex with Daniels.
02:36 Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, testified that Trump approved a $130,000 hush money
02:42 payment to Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 election when Trump faced multiple accusations
02:49 of sexual misconduct.
02:51 Cohen testified that he handled the payment and that Trump approved a plan to reimburse
02:56 him through monthly payments disguised as legal work.
03:00 Trump's lawyers attacked Cohen's credibility, emphasizing his criminal record, imprisonment,
03:05 and history of lying.
03:07 Mershan also cautioned jurors to scrutinize Cohen's testimony carefully.
03:13 A Trump appeal is likely to focus on Daniels' salacious testimony and the novel legal theory
03:18 used by prosecutors, but legal experts suggest he faces long odds.
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