The twelve jurors who have in their hands the legal fate of Donald Trump continued Thursday in Manhattan court their quest for a verdict in the first criminal trial of a former president of the United States. The accused once again denounced “a shoddy court”.
ATS
Arriving at the Manhattan criminal court, which he is prohibited from leaving during all deliberations, the Republican presidential candidate in November accused his opponent, Democratic President Joe Biden, of having orchestrated the trial.
“I just want to say that it is a very sad day for America (…) Everything is rigged,” he added, while he will be judged by citizens of New York chosen at random and selected by the defense and the prosecution.
Since Wednesday, these seven men and five women, immersed for six weeks in this affair with extraordinary stakes, began to deliberate behind closed doors in a court room. After a few hours of work, they asked to be able to rehear excerpts of certain testimonies, as well as the instructions of Judge Juan Merchan, which the magistrate began to do Thursday morning.
In the courtroom, Donald Trump listens silently. Behind him took place one of his sons, Eric.
A leap into the unknown
After debates during which there were often questions of sex, money and the conquest of power, the jurors must answer a question: was Donald Trump guilty of 34 falsifications of accounting documents, intended to hide a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels to avoid a sex scandal at the end of her 2016 presidential campaign?
A positive response would tip the 2024 US presidential campaign into an unknown scenario. Donald Trump could appeal and still appear on November 5 against Joe Biden, but with a heavy hat to wear, that of a person convicted in court.
If convicted, the judge would pronounce the sentence in several weeks, probably before November 5. The sentence can go, in theory and at most, up to four years in prison, but the magistrate can also decide on a lighter sanction, such as a prison sentence with suspended probation, or even simple community service.
Jurors’ deliberations can take several days. They will have to be unanimous to declare Donald Trump guilty or not guilty. This case is only one of four cases in which the Republican is charged. But the trial in New York will probably be the only one to be judged before the presidential election on November 5.
ATS
