A recap of the Trump hush money allegations, trial, decision, and queries

TFD – This week, Trump faced a conviction on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments. Despite this, he remains eligible for presidential candidacy. Get the full details on his legal battles here.

This week saw the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 charges of felony business fraud related to his payments of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has promised to challenge the judgment, and his sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

Even though the guilty conviction is a significant political development, it does not bar Trump from carrying out his presidential campaign or from taking office should he be elected.

This is how we arrived here and what comes next:

The charge

Democrat Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, filed an indictment against Trump in March 2023 on 34 counts related to the payments of hush money. According to the indictment, Trump participated in an unlawful plot to taint the results of the 2016 election.

Hush money payments are not criminal in and of themselves, but each charge was connected to a particular allegedly false entry in the Trump Organization’s financial records.

Trump has maintained that the sums paid to Daniels’ longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, were appropriately classified as legal fees.

Important witnesses and supporting data

The important thing was the tangible proof. Prosecutors displayed checks and ledgers that revealed payments made by Trump’s business to his former lawyer, along with a handwritten note that detailed Cohen’s payment schedule. Here’s a terrific look at the docs by Way Mullery of CNN.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker stated in court that his business collaborated with Cohen to stifle critical reports about Trump during the 2016 election. He also spoke about putting up the money to catch-and-kill the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story about an alleged affair with Trump, and about Trump’s anger when the story went public in 2016 and 2018.

The adult film star Daniels, who has maintained her denials of having an affair with Trump, spoke in court about her meeting him in 2006 at a golf tournament, frequently describing their interaction in graphic detail. Daniels was charged by the defense team of making up the narrative in order to profit.

Cohen gave jurors a tour of how he collaborated with Pecker on Trump’s behalf and stated in his testimony that Trump knew and approved of Cohen being deceitfully compensated for the $130,000 in legal services that Cohen had paid Daniels in 2016.

Cohen’s credibility as a convicted felon and perjurer was key during closing arguments, where Trump’s lawyers said Cohen couldn’t be trusted while prosecutors said jurors should use his testimony as part of the larger theme along with the physical evidence. Additionally, the judge made it clear to the jury that Cohen’s testimony alone could not result in Trump’s conviction.

Trump refrained from testifying. The jurors was given instructions by the court not to consider Trump’s decision while making their verdict.

The prohibition order

Judge Juan Merchan initially placed Trump under a gag order, then extended it and fined the defendant $10,000 in total for a number of infractions.

Trump started a string of remarks on his social media platform after he was prohibited from speaking about witnesses, juries, prosecutors, court employees, and the relatives of prosecutors and court employees. Remarks regarding District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the judge, or his family were not covered by the gag order; however, it was later amended to include family members.

Throughout the trial, Trump repeatedly denounced the gag order. On May 31, the day following the judgment, he addressed at Trump Tower. It is still in force.

Penalties and Appeals

The former president is accused with 34 crimes, the lowest category under New York law, known as Class E felonies. Trump is unlikely to do any time in prison because this is his first offense.

But Merchan, who will sentence Trump on July 11, will decide that.

But Trump has declared he will file an appeal. A convicted defendant in New York State may have to wait until after sentencing to file an appeal, which might take up to a year. Trump will then have thirty days to submit an appeal notice. Following that, his team would normally have six months to finish up procedural duties, like filing the trial transcripts and their appeal argument.

A five-judge panel for the Appellate Division First Department would then hear oral arguments from both sides and deliver a written decision, which could take months, following additional filings from each party. There is no deadline for the panel. Trump could also go up to the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court.

Trump can also request that Merchan postpone his punishment until after his appeal is resolved. In addition, Trump may ask the appeals court to halt his sentencing while he files an appeal if Merchan denies his plea.

The crucial query is: Is Trump able to win the presidency?

The official response is that he is fully qualified to run. Trump satisfies all fundamental constitutional requirements. He’s a natural-born citizen of over 35 years old and has lived in the US for at least 14 years.

The political response is that more investigation is necessary. Nearly $53 million was reportedly raised by Trump’s campaign in the 24 hours that followed the ruling (the FEC filings must verify these figures), and Republicans from all political persuasions came out in favor of the party’s most likely nominee.

And his other cases—what about them?

With a never-ending flurry of court filings and appeals, Trump has managed to successfully put the 54 allegations against him in three previous cases on hold. No additional trial dates are scheduled.

The criminal prosecution related to federal election subversion in Washington, DC, has been placed on hold while the US Supreme Court deliberates over Trump’s assertions of presidential immunity.

The Florida judge presiding over his case involving confidential materials has postponed the trial indefinitely and is still holding hearings on other legal matters.

Additionally, as Trump and a number of his co-defendants attempt to have the Atlanta-area prosecutor who brought the charges removed from office, the Georgia election meddling case remains in legal limbo.

What more is there? Can Trump purchase firearms? Journey?

This week, TFD viewers flooded the network with inquiries concerning anything from Trump’s right to purchase firearms to his capacity to go overseas and cast a ballot. Here, Zachary B. Wolf and Deban Cole of CNN provided all the answers.