A day after becoming the first former American president to be convicted on criminal charges in his New York hush money case, Donald Trump and his campaign were trying to turn the guilty verdict into fuel for his political comeback. Speaking to reporters at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Friday, Trump highlighted his lead in several polls over U.S.
President Joe Biden and the millions of dollars he says were raised from small donors after a jury found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in an attempt to influence the 2016 election — a case and trial he attacked as corrupt and “very unfair.” “We’re going to be appealing this scam,” he said. “We’re going to be appealing it on many different things.
” Trump also sought to downplay the allegations behind the case — that he orchestrated, through his then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter, then hid his repayments to Cohen as legal fees. Story continues below advertisement The jury ultimately agreed with prosecutors’ argument that Trump conspired to keep that story and others out of the public as he campaigned for president. The payment to Daniels was made just days before the 2016 election.
“It’s not hush money, it’s a non-disclosure agreement,” he said. “Totally legitimate, totally common. Everyone has it.
” 3:44 Trump becomes convicted felon: what hush money verdict means for his politi.
