Donald Trump’s lawyer says he will ‘vigorously fight’ conviction; global far-right leaders express support for Trump

By Guardian - Chris Stein - Vivian Ho - Fri 31 May 2024 13.58 BST

Todd Blanche says Trump team will appeal ‘as soon as we can’; Kremlin, Hungarian PM Orbán and Italian deputy PM react to guilty verdict for Trump

Trump attorney: team will appeal verdict 'as soon as we can'

Todd Blanche, an attorney for Donald Trump, was on CNN saying that his team is prepared to “vigorously fight” the conviction by filing motions over the next couple of weeks.

'It's a rigged trial, a disgrace': Trump denounces hush-money ...Video

“If that is not successful, then as soon as we can appeal we will,” he said.

When asked by CNN host Kaitlan Collins on what grounds he is seeking an appeal, Blanche said he felt the publicity and timing of the trial “was really unfair to President Trump”.

“Our system of justice isn’t supposed to be a system of justice in which every single person that walks into the courtroom knows about the case,” he said.

When Collins pushed back that the level of publicity was unavoidable in this case, Blanche responded: “The law doesn’t say, if you can’t avoid it, tough luck. The law says a person is entitled to a fair trial in front of a jury of their peers. We just think that because of everything around the lead-up to the trial, it made it very difficult for the jury to evaluate the evidence independent of what they knew coming in.”

There are three remaining criminal cases against Trump – two related to the attempts to overturn the 2020 election result, and a third over the storage of documents at Mar-a-Lago. The remaining cases will be unlikely to reach trial before the election.

ShareUpdated at 12.14 BST11m ago13.58 BST

Since his conviction yesterday afternoon, Donald Trump’s campaign has sent out a deluge of fundraising emails that stridently decry his conviction.

“BREAKING FROM TRUMP: JUSTICE IS DEAD IN AMERICA!” reads one that just landed in the inbox of the Guardian’s US politics live blog.

“I was just convicted in a RIGGED TRIAL meant to interfere in our elections. Their sick & twisted goal is simple: Pervert the justice system against me so much, that proud supporters like YOU will SPIT when you hear my name.”

It goes on to say that “Today is a DARK DAY in history, but your response right now will shine brighter than the 1,000 suns.”

Share27m ago13.43 BST

Mitch McConnell defends Trump, says he expects conviction 'overturned on appeal'

The Senate’s top Republican, Mitch McConnell, defended Donald Trump last night after the former president was convicted on business fraud charges:

McConnell, who led the Senate when Republicans held the majority during Trump’s term, collaborated with Trump on passing legislation and confirming three conservative supreme court justices. The pair had a falling out after January 6, but McConnell earlier this year said her would vote for Trump:

Top senator Mitch McConnell endorses Trump for president despite acrimony

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Teams of lawyers from the rich and powerful trying to stop us publishing stories they don’t want you to see.

Lobby groups with opaque funding who are determined to undermine facts about the climate emergency and other established science.

Authoritarian states with no regard for the freedom of the press.

Bad actors spreading disinformation online to undermine democracy.

45m ago13.24 BST

Trump says, 'if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone', defends bookkeeping

It is Donald Trump’s first full day as a convicted felon, and he has started the morning off with a post on Truth Social proclaiming his innocence of the business fraud charges he was found guilty of yesterday.

The former president was convicted for falsely recording the reimbursements he made to his former lawyer Michael Cohen as “legal expenses”. Cohen used the money to pay for the silence of Stormy Daniels, an adult film actor who said she had an affair with Trump.

Here’s what Trump had to say, on Truth:

My bookkeeper called a “Legal Expense,” on the “tiny” description line of the Ledger, a “Legal Expense,” openly paid to my lawyer, at that time a fully accredited one. I was not involved in that designation, but what else would you have called it? It was, in fact, a LEGAL EXPENSE. That is the so-called “CRIME.” On top of that, I wasn’t allowed by the judge to use, in any form, the standard RELIANCE ON COUNSEL DEFENSE (ADVICE OF COUNSEL!). My lawyer, at the time, did virtually everything on the NDA (NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT), and I assumed that what he did was correct. I did nothing wrong, and frankly, there was nothing done wrong - NDA’s are standard, commonly used, and LEGAL. MAGA2024! WITCH HUNT! IF THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ME, IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!

Share1h ago13.05 BST

Summary

A New York jury has convicted Donald Trump on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a criminal hush-money scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. Trump is now the first US president to be convicted of a crime.

Trump has reacted defiantly to the verdict, calling the trial “rigged” and a “disgrace”. His legal team has vowed to vigorously fight the conviction. “As soon as we can appeal we will,” said Todd Blanche, one of Trump’s attorneys.
Although Joe Biden himself has declined to comment on the verdict, his campaign sent out an email stating “no one is above the law”. “In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law. Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain,” wrote Michael Tyler, Biden’s communications director. “But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.” Ian Sams, spokesperson for the White House counsel’s office, said in a statement: “We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign is already moving to fundraise off of the verdict, sending out an email to his supporters declaring him a “political prisoner”. Politico is reporting that the Trump campaign is telling down ballot Republicans to back off of fundraising for themselves off the former president’s convictions – because they believe the trial to be a fundraising boon for the Trump campaign and don’t want other Republicans to siphon from the pot.
Far-right leaders from around the world are expressing their support for Trump in the aftermath of the verdict. The Kremlin called the verdict a “de-facto elimination of political rivals”, while Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, called on Trump to “keep on fighting”.
Trump is set to be sentenced on 11 July, and while the decision rests entirely with Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing the case, experts say Trump is unlikely to receive prison time. Either way, yesterday’s verdict does not disqualify him as a presidential candidate, nor does it bar him from again sitting in the Oval Office.

1h ago13.00 BST

Trump to hold press conference at Trump Tower at 11am ET

One day after a New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Donald Trump is expected to hold a press conference at 11am ET at Trump Tower in New York City. Tune in here for more.

ShareUpdated at 13.16 BST2h ago12.34 BST

While most of Trump’s cronies have lined up to sing his praises during the trial – literally in person in some cases, many of them wearing the Trump “uniform” of suit, white shirt and red tie – the two most important women in his life remained nearly silent throughout.

His sons Eric and Don Jr, as usual, competed with each other to shout loudest. But neither Ivanka, his daughter, nor Melania, his wife, showed their faces at the Manhattan courthouse.

And when the verdict came down, Ivanka – who along with her husband, Jared Kushner, has distanced herself from her father’s 2024 campaign – tweeted just four words: “I love you Dad”, notably avoiding saying anything about the verdict or the case itself.

Melania, meanwhile, who has reportedly been furious at having her marriage dragged through the mud (Trump’s alleged affair with Karen McDougal overlapped with a period during which she was pregnant), has yet to make any comment whatsoever – leaving an opening for the meme brigade to interpret her possible reactions:

ShareUpdated at 12.35 BST2h ago12.27 BST

In the battleground states of Wisconsin and Georgia, voters weighed in on the Donald Trump’s guilty verdict and its potential effects on November’s presidential election.

“I think it’s a travesty,” said Jeff Clay, 55, from Locust Grove, Georgia. “I think that it will go to appeal and it will be immediately overturned. I think it was a partisan judge. I think it was a very partisan political process.”

“I’m glad to see him be held accountable in some criminal way,” said Cheyenne Carter, a 25-year-old administrative assistant in deep-blue Madison, Wisconsin. “I would actually enjoy seeing him go to prison, or see some type of actual prison time – unfortunately, I’m sure that won’t happen.”

But like a number of others the Guardian spoke to, Carter doesn’t believe the verdict will change that many minds.

“I feel like people have made their opinion about him for years now, and it’s like, you can’t change it this far in,” said Carter.

UK opposition leader Keir Starmer says a Labour government would 'work with whoever' Americans elect

British opposition leader Keir Starmer told BBC Radio Scotland that a Labour government in London would “work with whoever” Americans choose as their president.

“Obviously we respect the decision of the court, the independent court — there’s a bit of process to go with sentencing and appeal,” Starmer said. “But we are in an unprecedented situation. There’s no doubt about that.”

He added: “Ultimately, whether he’s elected president will be a matter for the American people and, obviously, if we’re privileged to come in to serve, we would work with whoever they choose as their president.”

Share2h ago12.12 BST

Trump attorney: team will appeal verdict 'as soon as we can'

Todd Blanche, an attorney for Donald Trump, was on CNN saying that his team is prepared to “vigorously fight” the conviction by filing motions over the next couple of weeks.

“If that is not successful, then as soon as we can appeal we will,” he said.

When asked by CNN host Kaitlan Collins on what grounds he is seeking an appeal, Blanche said he felt the publicity and timing of the trial “was really unfair to President Trump”.

“Our system of justice isn’t supposed to be a system of justice in which every single person that walks into the courtroom knows about the case,” he said.

ShareUpdated at 12.14 BST2h ago11.44 BST

Here are some more reactions to the verdict from around the world:

Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary:

Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister of Italy:

ShareUpdated at 12.20 BST3h ago11.37 BST

Kremlin attacks Trump verdict as 'elimination of political rivals'

The Kremlin told reporters on Friday that Donald Trump’s guilty verdict was proof that all legal and illegal means were being used in the United States to get rid of political rivals”, Reuters is reporting.

“The fact that a de-facto elimination of political rivals by all possible legal and illegal means is going on there is obvious,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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