By Antynet Ford
Former US president Donald Trump has been found guilty on all counts in his historic New York criminal trial, becoming the first former or sitting president to be convicted of a crime as he makes a bid to return to the White House.
The panel of 12 Manhattan jurors reached their unanimous verdict on Thursday after two weeks of deliberations and a six-week trial.
The court heard from more than 20 witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with the former president was at the centre of the case.
The ex-president called the verdict a “disgrace”, adding: “We’ll fight to the end.”
Trump, 77, was accused of concealing a payment to buy the silence of Ms Daniels, a former adult-film star, in the final days of his 2016 election campaign.
He will be sentenced on 11 July – just days before the Republican National Convention, when he will be confirmed as the party’s White House candidate.
While he could in theory face prison, a financial penalty is seen as the more likely punishment following Thursday’s unanimous verdict.
For now, Trump has been released on his own recognisance.
The former president pursed his lips as the jurors confirmed the guilty counts on all 34 charges, turning his head to look at them.
Trump will almost certainly appeal, which does not prevent him from running against President Joe Biden, the Democrat incumbent, in November’s election.
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The former president faces three other criminal cases, including two of alleged election interference, but it looks unlikely that those trials will begin before the general election on 5 November.