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| credit: KAL |
Guilty on all counts. That is what the jury of peers decided today after nine hours of deliberation. They deserve this country's thanks for their dedicated service to justice. Donald J. Trump, former President of the United States is now a convicted felon. There will be an appeal of the verdict, but odds are it will be upheld. It is unlikely that Justice Merchan will sentence the defendant to incarceration given he is a first offender, his age (77), and the crimes, while numerous, are not violent*. The logistical nightmare of custody will also be a practical consideration whether it rightfully should be or not. No secret service agent wants to spend his work day in prison with Don 'the Con'. A suspended jail term, probation, and fines are more likely. The presidential defendant is scheduled to be sentenced July 11th.
The jury's conclusion was not surprising given the overwhelming weight of evidence and the lack of a coherent alternative explanation of the defendant's behavior. His defense essentially amounted to a sustained attack on the credibility of the state's star witness, Michael Cohen, which ignored the testimony of other participants in the suppression conspiracy, and documentary evidence of the reimbursement scheme (12 ledger entries, 11 invoices and 11 checks) that corroborated Cohen's testimony. Hope Hicks, still a Trump supporter, provided unimpeached testimony about his motivation to hide his encounter with Daniels from the voting public, and then broke down in tears on the stand. Another impactful moment in the trial came when prosecutor Jeff Steinglass read to the jury during his summation a scenario of Cohen's 94 second phone call to Trump and his bodyguard in which he told Trump the payment to Daniels had been made. The recitation of the call took 47 seconds.
Don 'Legit' faces three other criminal cases and a possible fourth in Arizona for his election interference and illegal retention of defense secrets. The New York case was often criticized as being blown out of proportion, but the proceedings uncovered the Boss' efforts to win the presidential election of 2016 by any means necessary including falsifying his business records--a serious political crime against the democratic order in US Person's book. His criminal propensities had not abated by 2020 when he instigated a coup attempt. Readers will remember that another 'Boss', Al Capone, was only ever convicted of tax evasion despite being suspected of numerous murders and racketeering. Well done, New Yorkers.
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| The felon, Donald J. Trump |
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| and a dead Fascist |
*One analysis by CNN's legal analyst, Norm Eisen of recent data shows that only one in ten felony business records fraud in New York result in custody. On the other end of the scale is the defendant's particularly defiant attitude towards the justice system in which he has been fined for contempt multiple times, and the political context of his, "unlawful attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election."