An amazing and history-making decision has been rendered and Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts of tampering with business records, making it the first time in which a former United States president was convicted of a crime. A sensational trial that has focused on hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels is causing political turmoil at the time when the high-stakes presidential election for 2024 is just some months away.
The scandal that brought down Trump was involving a $130,000 payment to Daniels made to secure her silence about an alleged affair in the run-up to the 2016 elections. However, despite his loud protestations of innocence and “rigged” trial claims, the jury did not buy into his defense. With a maximum sentence of 136 years hanging over him, experts anticipate that he will probably receive probation since he is now 77 years old.
Trump responded as only he can: with characteristic boldness. ‘I am an innocent man’, he said as though he was being persecuted politically; and promised electoral justice. In no hurry at all his campaign kicked off its own fund raising appeal titled “I am a political prisoner!” to mobilize support from his followers.
The political consequences of this earthquake conviction are history making. The conviction throws a new twist into the already vibrant race as Trump gets ready to challenge President Joe Biden that has been full of heat. The Biden camp emphasized that “no one is above the law,” underlining Trump’s ongoing threat to American democracy.
Judge Juan Merchan has slated sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention to ensure that Trump’s legal predicaments continue grabbing headlines at a time when he is likely to clinch the GOP nomination.
At trial there were sordid testimonies with Daniels narrating her alleged affair with Donald Trump and key witness Michael Cohen who described his former boss in harsh language. Cohen hailed it as a “victory for accountability and rule of law”.
It appears that Trump’s legal battles will continue beyond the 2020 White House race to make 2024 one of America’s most explosive and closely watched elections ever. More importantly, fasten your seat belts because this political rollercoaster is far from over.
