Former United States President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all counts in his highly publicised hush money trial in New York.
Gatekeepers News reports that the jury delivered the historic verdict after deliberating for over four hours, convicting Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the reimbursement of hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The trial centred around Trump’s involvement in a scheme to silence Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who both claimed to have had affairs with Trump. Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, testified that he made the payments at Trump’s direction and that Trump reimbursed him for the payments through falsified business records.
The jury’s verdict marks a significant milestone in the first criminal case against a former American president. Trump faces up to four years in prison for each count, although sentencing guidelines are likely to recommend a much shorter sentence.
The verdict is a major blow to Trump, who has maintained his innocence throughout the trial. His legal team has vowed to appeal the conviction.
The case has sparked widespread debate and discussion about accountability and the rule of law, with many hailing the verdict as a victory for justice and others criticising the prosecution as politically motivated.
Trump’s conviction comes as he faces multiple other legal challenges, including a Georgia election interference case and a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents.
