NEW YORK (TND) — A New York City jury convicted Donald Trump on all felony counts in his hush money trial Thursday afternoon.
A dozen jurors deliberated for hours since they began Wednesday morning.
The guilty verdict was returned Thursday after 9 1/2 hours of deliberations.
The former president called the trial "rigged" and blamed the Biden administration for Thursday's outcome. He also called Judge Juan M. Merchan "corrupt."
"The real verdict is going to be on November 5," said a defeated Trump.
"The whole thing... we didn't do anything wrong. I'm an innocent man," he said. "It's OK, I'm fighting for our country, I'm fighting for our constitution."
The sentencing phase is set for July 11.
Trump is facing up to four years per count. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records at his company in connection with a scheme to hide potentially embarrassing stories about him during his 2016 Republican presidential election campaign.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thanked the jury for their service over the past several weeks at a news conference he hosted early Thursday evening.
"Their service is literally the cornerstone of our judicial system. We should all be thankful for the careful attention the jury paid today," said Bragg who referred to Trump as the defendant.
"This type of white-collared prosecution is core to what we do at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, he added.
Bragg declined to answer a question if he plans to request a prison sentence for Trump.
"The judge scheduled sentencing for July 11th. We will speak in court at that time. We also set a motion schedule. We'll speak as we have done throughout this proceeding," said Bragg.
New York has a cap on the type of felony charges Trump is facing.
The maximum number of years Trump can serve in prison is 20.
Legal experts believe Trump will not serve prison time because he has no criminal history and the crimes are considered non-violent.
Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard Law professor, wasn't surprised and said he predicted the outcome.
The National Desk spoke with Chicago trial attorney Karen Conti Thursday night, who addressed Trump's gag order violations in the trial and if they could impact sentencing.
Clark Brewster, Stormy Daniel's attorney, commented on the outcome of Trump's trial with our station, KTUL. He gave insight into Daniel's experience of hearing the verdict as the news arrived.
Merchan excused the jury after four hours of deliberating Wednesday. They returned for a second day and deliberated for about five hours.
Jurors had raised questions about the judge's instructions to them and about testimony. Jurors also asked to rehear testimony about the hush money scheme at the heart of the case.
The defendant, who has criticized the trial and called it "election interference" spoke about the charges.
"Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged," Trump said as the jurors deliberated Wednesday.
Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. It's likely that he and his legal team would appeal any conviction.
Trump took to Truth Social to post the following video, with the caption stating: THIS WAS A DISGRACE—A RIGGED TRIAL BY A CONFLICTED JUDGE WHO IS CORRUPT. WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR CONSTITUTION—THIS IS LONG FROM OVER!"
Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler released a statement about Thursday’s verdict:
A large crowd of supporters gathered outside the Trump Tower cheering on the convicted former president.
Trump raised his fist and thanked the crowd for their support before walking into the building.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reacted to the verdict at a press conference in Austin, Texas.
The first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes is expected to speak Friday at 11 a.m. ET.
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