Given the personnel, these might be the most significant verdicts ever delivered by an American jury.
The guilty findings give Donald Trump a criminal rebrand that has implications far beyond the man himself.
Now that the jury’s had its say, it’s over to the public to consider the bigger question – how one man’s conviction shapes his presidential campaign.
Trump guilty latest: Ex-US president says he is a ‘very innocent man’
The verdicts in New York’s criminal court building weren’t a given.
Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Stormy Daniels. Pic: AP
The prosecution presented a case that the money was part of a conspiracy to bury news of their sexual encounter, which he denied.
If the crime was ugly, the context wasn’t a great look for a man who was president and who wants to be again.
The story, withheld from US voters in 2016, laid bare in evidence from Ms Daniels herself, told us of Trump being spanked, reclining in his boxers and parting with the line: “Let’s get together again, Honeybunch.”
Read more:
Seven things that nailed Trump
Can Trump still be president after being convicted?
The killer evidence that came with the excruciating detail was provided by Trump’s fixer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen.
‘This is a rigged trial’
He tied together the prosecution case, placing his former boss at the heart of the conspiracy.
He testified that Trump directed the hush money scheme and his priority was burying scandal in the days before America went to the polls.
Trump supporters outside court. Pic: Reuters
Cohen’s testimony included Trump telling him of the Stormy Daniels story: “Push it out past the election because if I win, it has no relevance and, if I lose, I don’t really care.”
Cohen, the star witness, faced questions over his credibility as someone who, himself, has been convicted of several crimes and spent time in jail.
What happens next for Donald Trump?
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In court, Trump’s defence team labelled him the “GLOAT” – the greatest liar of all time.
The truth is that he did the heavy lifting in the case for conviction – one of the most memorable of all time.
Source Agencies
