Democrats are loudly celebrating after their old political foe, Donald Trump, was convicted Thursday on 34 felony counts.
The New York jury of 12 people, seven men and five women, concluded that the former president was guilty of all the charges against him.
And now Democrats and progressives are rejoicing.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the ‘Progressive Squad,’ opened a town hall in the Bronx on Thursday night invoking Trump’s condemnation to much applause.
“He was found guilty on all 34 charges,” AOC proclaimed to cheers. “The rule of law applies to everyone.”
“Donald Trump was convicted by a jury of his peers,” the ‘Squad’ member added before praising the jury and the prosecution for working diligently in an apolitical manner.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., invoked Trump’s criminal convictions to kick off a town hall she hosted in the Bronx on Thursday night.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a member of the ‘Squad,’ said in a statement: “Despite the former occupant of the White House’s tireless efforts to undermine and delegitimize these fair and measured legal proceedings, the unanimous guilty verdict today is an important step towards accountability.”
“From discrimination against black tenants to small business fraud, to bribery, hush schemes, election interference and insurrection, this man has broken the law to advance his own interests at the expense of other people. and to the detriment of our democracy.
Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., another member of the progressive ‘Squad’ posted on X: ‘No one in this country is above the law, including former President Trump.’
“Being convicted of falsifying business records for hush money is just the beginning of being held accountable for your crimes.”
“It’s time for us to ensure that Trump is banned from running for any public office again and, from there, finally take steps to fix our democracy.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also mentioned Trump’s criminal convictions.
AOC has long criticized the former president, accusing him of committing an insurrection and more
Former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies on Thursday
“In preparation for a verdict in this trial, I directed my administration to coordinate closely with local and federal authorities and we continue to monitor the situation,” Hochul said in a statement.
“We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our justice system,” he added.
After Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in the hush money trial, Republicans immediately rushed to his defense and seemed confident that the conviction would be overturned.
Trump’s sentencing date is set for July 11.
The guilty verdicts come after five weeks of dramatic evidence and 22 witnesses questioned on the stand.
This is the first time that a former president of the United States faces a criminal trial.
Trump’s team has vowed to appeal the conviction.
He will now face the Manhattan Appellate Division, and possibly the Court of Appeals, and will remain free on bail while he appeals.
After Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in the hush money trial, Republicans immediately rushed to his defense and seemed confident that the conviction would be overturned.
The verdict could upend the race for the White House in 2024 and represent a pivotal moment in American history.
Each of the charges Trump faced carried a potential maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.
Jurors had the option of convicting Trump on all charges, acquitting him of all charges, or returning a mixed verdict in which he was found guilty of some charges and not others.
Falsifying business records would normally be a lower-level misdemeanor, but his charges were raised to the felony level because of a second offense: attempting to influence the 2016 election.
The judge could consider the unprecedented nature of the case and choose not to put a former president and current candidate behind bars.
Despite the historic tragedy for the United States, some Democrats seemed elated.
“Boom,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D.R.I.
‘Guilty. Today, 12 ordinary American citizens found a former president guilty of dozens of serious crimes. Despite his efforts to distract, delay and deny, justice came for Donald Trump anyway. And the rule of law prevailed,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who is currently running for a Senate seat.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said, “It’s important that the Republican presidential nominee is a convicted felon.”
“And this will not be his last sentence,” he said. ‘He has committed multiple crimes and will be sentenced several times. He can never be president again.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., celebrated Trump’s guilty conviction
In praising Trump’s guilty conviction, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a member of the ‘Squad,’ D-Mass., cited how the former president has attacked Black people and taken advantage of small businesses for his own benefit.
Prosecutors spoke of a plot by Trump to “corrupt” the 2016 election by hiding a $130,000 payment from his “fixer” Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Daniels alleged that she and Trump had sex a decade earlier, which he has denied.
The case featured explosive evidence from Daniels and exposed the “catch-and-kill” practices of the National Enquirer tabloid, which bought stories that could be damaging to Trump and suppressed them.
But the actual criminal charges concern refunds Trump signed for Cohen for the payment.
The refunds, paid by Trump in monthly installments, were recorded as legal expenses.
Prosecutors say it was a fraudulent label designed to conceal the purpose of the hush money transaction and unlawfully interfere in the 2016 election.
Defense attorneys argued that Cohen actually performed substantial legal work for Trump and his family and was paid for it.
In a marathon day of closing arguments Tuesday, prosecutors and defense attorneys had one last chance to score points with jurors as they embarked on their momentous task.
The two sides offered wildly different accounts of Trump’s guilt, the strength of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses.
