Friday Briefing

Donald Trump outside of the courtroom after his verdict.Credit…Pool photo by Seth Wenig

Trump is guilty on all counts

Donald Trump has been convicted of all 34 felony counts in a criminal case stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election. He is the first American president to be declared a felon, a stain he will carry as he seeks to regain the presidency.

The 12 New Yorkers who made up the jury heard weeks of tawdry testimony describing tabloid deal-making, a sexual encounter between Trump and the porn star Stormy Daniels, and the $130,000 payoff that kept her silent.

Prosecutors contended that Trump had engaged in a fraud against the American people, arguing that he had falsified records related to the reimbursement of his onetime fixer, Michael Cohen, who paid her out of his own pocket.

After hearing the verdict, Trump did not visibly respond, my colleague Jonah Bromwich reported from the courtroom. But once outside, he recited a now-familiar litany of complaints: that the judge was biased, that the prosecutors brought the case to keep him out of the White House, and that he should have been granted a venue change because of how liberal-leaning Manhattan is. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5, by the people,” Trump said.

The jury’s decision is an indelible moment in America’s history, concluding the only one of four criminal cases against Trump likely to go to trial before Election Day. Sentencing has been set for July 11, four days before the beginning of the Republican National Convention.

Details: The felony conviction calls for a sentence of up to four years behind bars, but Trump may never see the inside of a prison cell. He could receive probation, and he is certain to appeal the verdict. It may be years before the case is resolved.