The jury has found former US President Donald Trump GUILTY of falsifying business records to conceal a hush-money payment made to former porn star Stormy Daniels.
He becomes the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
This is for the first count of the 34 charges in total. There are more verdicts to come.
Trump guilty on all 34 counts.
We continue to hear the juror read the verdict for each charge. Count 4 and Count 5 are guilty.
It’s official. Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts.
Donald Trump continues to purse his lips as each one of the jurors confirms that he’s been found guilty.
The former president turns his head to look at each one of them as they confirm.
Todd Blanche, his lawyer, appears to be taking notes.
Justice Juan Merchan is thanking the jurors for “how invested they were in this process”.
Trump continues to look subdued as he glances in the judge’s direction.
Trump’s son Eric is looking at the 12 jurors.
Donald Trump is standing up and looks at the jurors as they walk past him one by one after they are excused.
Justice Merchan says he will meet with the jurors personally afterwards to thank them for their work, and to ask them what they did right and what could’ve been done better.
“At this time, I think you very much,” he says.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead lawyer, tells Justice Merchan there is “no reason that the court should allow the verdict” because of Michael Cohen’s testimony.
He says “perjury was committed” – claiming Cohen lied on the stand.
Justice Merchan then denies their motion to move for an acquittal of charges.
Trump says verdict is a ‘disgrace’
Donald Trump has emerged from court and is speaking to media.
He starts by saying: “This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial”.
‘This is long from over’
Trump says he will “keep fighting until the end”.
The former president also lashes out at the court process, claiming he was unfairly treated.
“This is long from over,” he says, before walking away without answering any questions.
Analysis
A devastating outcome, whatever Trump says
Whatever Donald Trump says, this is a devastating outcome for the former president.
It’s one thing being controversial and provocative, it’s quite another being a convicted criminal.
There are of course upsides to this outcome; it will further invigorate his supporters and make them even more angry than they already are; it will also, if the past is a prologue, help the former president raise money, not just for his mounting legal fees but also for his campaign for president.
The downside is that in some of those key swing states in the Midwest and the Sun Belt, there are voters who will be unhappy about supporting a candidate with a criminal record and it doesn’t take many of them to affect the outcome in some very tight contests.