Former United States President Donald Trump has been found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, marking a historic moment as he becomes the first convicted ex-US leader.
The case centers around allegations that Trump orchestrated a payment to Daniels to silence her claims of an affair, then falsified business records to hide the payment. The trial’s outcome has sent shockwaves through political and diplomatic circles in Washington, DC, and beyond.
This dramatic development comes just five months before the crucial November presidential elections, in which Trump is a key contender.
President Joe Biden responded to the verdict on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box.”
At a public event, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in the 2016 election, humorously remarked, “Anything going on today?”
Democratic leaders voiced strong opinions on the verdict. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer emphasized, “No one is above the law,” while California Congressman Adam Schiff, a prominent impeachment prosecutor against Trump, warned that the verdict “will only increase Donald Trump’s attempts to discredit the justice system and tear down our democracy … it is up to us to make sure it continues to prevail.”
Conversely, Trump’s Republican allies expressed outrage, questioning the trial’s legitimacy. US House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “shameful day in American history” and described the charges as “purely political.”
Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise criticized the decision as “a defeat for Americans who believe in the critical legal tenet that justice is blind.” Ohio Senator JD Vance, supported by Trump in the last campaign, labeled the verdict “a disgrace to the judicial system.”
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump supporter, commented, “This verdict says more about the system than the allegations.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has had a complicated relationship with Trump but recently endorsed his 2024 campaign, did not attack the judge or jury directly. However, he stated that the charges “never should have been brought in the first place” and predicted that the conviction “will be overturned on appeal.”
In contrast, former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who is running for Senate in a Democrat-leaning state, urged respect for the legal process. Before the verdict, Hogan called for calm, saying, “At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders – regardless of party – must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship.”
Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman and vocal Trump critic, stated that “justice was done.” He highlighted the potential implications for the GOP, noting, “The GOP is about to have a frontrunner, or a nominee, who cannot vote for himself, who would be immediately discharged from the military in less than honorable conditions, who cannot own a firearm.”