In a landmark verdict, former President Donald Trump was convicted by a jury Thursday on 34 felony counts in a New York state court.
The verdict of the weeks-long trial marked the first time a former or sitting president has been found guilty of a felony by a jury of peers.
Trump is the first presumptive major-party nominee to be convicted.
The ex-president faces a potential jail sentence and fines. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 11.
Despite the conviction, Trump remains eligible to run for office and has indicated there will be plans to appeal the decision.
The conviction, stemming from a hush-money case related to the 2016 election, has ignited reactions from political figures across the spectrum.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who was endorsed by Trump, released the below statement:
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“This is a terrible day for America and for trust in our justice system. As CNN’s Fareed Zakaria said, ‘I doubt the New York indictment would have been brought against a defendant whose name was not Donald Trump.’ This case should never have been brought in the first place, and this miscarriage of justice is despicable. I look forward to the appeal.”
U.S. Bob Casey, a Democrat, did not release a statement on the verdict.
U.S. Senate John Fetterman, a Democrat, posted the below to social media:
Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, who was endorsed by Trump in 2020, did not post on social media or respond to a request for comment on the verdict.
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Fitzpatrick Democratic challenger, Ashley Ehasz, asked Fitzpatrick: “We deserve to know if you are going to endorse this man for President.”
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“Joe Biden and the Democrats have gone to a new low today, they know that the momentum is with President Trump and the Republican Party,” the Bucks County Republican Committee posted on social media, adding that people should donate $47 to the party. The dollar figure represents that Trump would be the 47th president if elected in November.
Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who ran for governor in 2022 and lost to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, posted the below statement:
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“It’s heartbreaking to witness today’s ruling and the weaponization of the judicial system being used as a political bludgeon to oppress political opponents. Now is not the time to grow weary, but rather to redouble our efforts to get out the vote, and to motivate others to stop being bystanders. We have a Republic, if you can keep it. We keep it by rolling up our sleeves and getting involved in this important election year.”
The election campaign of President Joe Biden responded to the New York jury’s verdict convicting a former president by stating that the decision reinforces the principle that no one is above the law.
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“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain,” the Biden-Harris campaign said. “But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.”
The Trump campaign contended that the trial in a predominantly liberal city precluded a fair proceeding.
“This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. It’s a rigged trial, a disgrace. They wouldn’t give us a venue change. We were at 5 percent or 6 percent in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump stated.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, criticized the trial’s outcome as a low point in American history, accusing Democrats of celebrating a conviction against the leader of their opposition.
NPR reported last year that Trump is the first president to face felony criminal charges, but others have faced legal troubles. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant was arrested in Washington D.C. for speeding on a horse and didn’t contest the arrest.
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