World: Former US President Donald Trump labeled his conviction in the New York hush money trial as “very unfair” and “rigged,” vowing to appeal the decision. On Thursday, a New York jury found Trump guilty of multiple felonies, making him the first former US president to be convicted of crimes.
“It was very unfair… You saw what happened to some of the witnesses that were on our side – they were literally crucified,” Trump said in a speech at Trump Tower in Manhattan, according to Reuters. He described his adversaries as “sick” and “fascists.”
Trump pledged to challenge his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, declaring, “We’re going to be appealing this scam… on many different things.” However, he must wait until after his sentencing on July 11 to take action.
The Republican ex-president argued that the verdict was politically motivated and sought to downplay the case’s facts. “It’s not hush money. It’s a nondisclosure agreement. Totally legal, totally common,” he said, as quoted by the Associated Press.
Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment intended to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from publicizing an alleged sexual encounter, which he feared would harm his 2016 presidential campaign.
Following his conviction, Trump asserted his innocence, denouncing the trial as a “disgrace,” according to the Associated Press. He claimed he wanted to testify but was not permitted to do so, and repeated unfounded accusations that President Joe Biden and the Justice Department influenced his prosecution.
Trump frequently veered into attacks on Biden and illegal immigrants, accusing the president and his administration of allowing terrorists and criminals into the country. “They’re coming in from all over the world into our country, and we have a president and a group of fascists that don’t want to do anything about it,” Trump said. “They’re destroying our country.”
He also condemned the committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as “thugs” and called Biden a “Manchurian candidate,” implying the president is a corrupt puppet. “We’re living in a fascist state,” Trump asserted.
Despite facing three other felony indictments, the New York case was the first to reach trial and is likely the only one before the November election. According to AFP, Trump faces a potential prison sentence but is more likely to receive probation.