CV NEWS FEED // A New York City jury found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday.
The news marks the first time in American history a jury has found a current or former president guilty of a crime.
Trump has continued to maintain his innocence and a chorus of observers have blasted the unprecedented conviction as politically-charged lawfare and evidence of a weaponization of the justice system.
The conviction notably does not impact the presumptive Republican nominee’s ability to run in November’s presidential election. Recent polls have consistently shown him leading Biden in almost all battleground states.
“This was a disgrace,” Trump said minutes after the jury handed down the verdict. “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt.”
Trump pointed out that in 2020, he only received about 5% of the vote in the area of Manhattan where the trial was held.
“The real verdict is going to be November 5, by the people,” Trump said. “And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here.”
The former president went on to call himself “a very innocent man,” adding: “This was done by the Biden administration.”
CatholicVote President Brian Burch stated: “This verdict is a joke.”
“A biased prosecutor,” he continued. “No underlying crime. Felony predicated on a misdemeanor that was never convicted.”
“Make no mistake: This is election interference,” said Burch. “This is the total politicization of our legal system. We are more committed than ever to rallying millions of Catholics to help Trump win in November.”
>> ACTOR SAYS HE WILL VOTE FOR TRUMP CITING ‘WEAPONIZATION OF OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM’ <<
News of the verdict resulted in an outpouring of support for Trump’s presidential bid – including from onlookers who were previously anti-Trump.
Multiple commentators pointed out that Trump’s campaign fundraising website went down due to increased traffic – overwhelmed by donors to his presidential run.
Minutes after the verdict against Trump was announced, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took to X (formerly Twitter), slamming the conviction of his former rival for the Republican nomination:
Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America—all in an effort to “get” Donald Trump.
“It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law,” DeSantis noted. “If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict.”
“In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court,” the governor added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, agreed.
“Today is a shameful day in American history,” he wrote on X. “Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon.”
“This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one,” continued Johnson:
The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.
The American people see this as lawfare, and they know it is wrong—and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict—and he WILL WIN!
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, wrote: “This sham trial is an absolute travesty of justice. This was not law. This was not justice. This was ALL politics.”
Cruz also wrote that the verdict was evidence of an “extraordinary weaponization of the justice system.”
The Daily Wire reported:
Legal experts doubt the 77-year-old Trump will end up being incarcerated, though the Secret Service reportedly coordinated with local jail officials just in case. Possible alternatives to imprisonment include probation or community service.
Sentencing has been scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention is set to be held in Milwaukee. Trump, who is the presumptive GOP nominee, can still run for the presidency if he ends up behind bars.
