XPost: talk.politics.misc, talk.politics.guns, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: alt.politics   
   From: NoBody@nowhere.com   
      
   Trump is woke.   Rightists are all faggots.   
      
   JD Vance beats his children and is a heavy drinker.   
      
      
   What was Trump convicted of? Details on the 34 counts and his guilty   
   verdict   
      
      
   Former President Donald Trump's conviction in New York stemmed from a   
   $130,000 "hush money" payment his attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film   
   star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election. Prosecutors said   
   the deal was meant to keep voters in the dark about Daniels' allegation   
   that she had sex with Trump years earlier, which he denies.   
      
   But the actual charges that Trump faced were far less salacious, and dealt   
   with the comparatively mundane paperwork that was generated when he   
   reimbursed Cohen for the payment.   
      
   Here's what to know about the charges Trump faced:   
   What was Trump convicted of?   
      
   Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsification of business records in   
   the first degree, which is a felony in New York. He pleaded not guilty when   
   he was arraigned last year.   
      
   In 2017, Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, an executive at the Trump   
   Organization, reached an agreement about how Cohen would be repaid for the   
   $130,000 that he sent to Daniels in exchange for her silence. Weisselberg   
   detailed the calculations in handwritten notes that were shown to the jury   
   at trial.   
      
   Cohen would receive $130,000 for the Daniels payment, plus $50,000 intended   
   for a technology company that did unrelated work for Trump. That amount was   
   doubled to account for taxes that Cohen would have to pay on the income.   
   Weisselberg then tacked on an extra $60,000 as a bonus for Cohen, who was   
   upset that his regular year-end award had been cut. The total worked out to   
   $420,000.   
   Handwritten notes from Allen Weisselberg showing the math behind payments   
   to Michael Cohen, as shown at former President Donald Trump's trial in New   
   York on Monday, May 13, 2024.   
   Handwritten notes from Allen Weisselberg showing the math behind payments   
   to Michael Cohen, as shown at former President Donald Trump's trial in New   
   York on Monday, May 13, 2024. Manhattan District Attorney's Office   
      
   Cohen would be paid in a series of monthly payments of $35,000 over the   
   course of 2017. The first check was for $70,000, covering two months. Cohen   
   sent an invoice to the Trump Organization for each check, portraying the   
   payment as his "retainer." Every time he was paid, a bookkeeper generated a   
   record for the company's files, known as a voucher, with the description   
   "legal expense." The first three payments were made from Trump's trust,   
   while the remaining nine came from his personal account.   
      
   Each of the 34 charges against Trump corresponded to a check, invoice and   
   voucher generated to reimburse Cohen. The prosecution laid out the charges   
   in a chart that jurors saw several times during the trial:   
   The charges against former President Donald Trump are shown in a graphic   
   prepared by Manhattan prosecutors.   
   The charges against former President Donald Trump are shown in a graphic   
   prepared by Manhattan prosecutors. Manhattan District Attorney's Office   
      
   Prosecutors said Trump knew the payments were to reimburse Cohen for the   
   Daniels payment, not for his legal expenses.   
      
   The jury voted to convict on all 34 counts. As Trump looked on, the court's   
   clerk asked the foreperson of the jury for the verdict.   
      
   "How say you to the first count of the indictment, charging Donald J. Trump   
   with the crime of falsifying business records in the first degree, guilty   
   or not guilty?" the clerk asked.   
      
   "Guilty," the foreperson responded, repeating the answer 33 more times.   
   Why were the charges a felony?   
      
   Under New York law, falsification of business records is a crime when the   
   records are altered with an intent to defraud. To be charged as a felony,   
   prosecutors must also show that the offender intended to "commit another   
   crime" or "aid or conceal" another crime when falsifying records.   
      
   In Trump's case, prosecutors said that other crime was a violation of a New   
   York election law that makes it illegal for "any two or more persons" to   
   "conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public   
   office by unlawful means," as Justice Juan Merchan explained in his   
   instructions to the jury.   
      
   What exactly those "unlawful means" were in this case was up to the jury to   
   decide. Prosecutors put forth three areas that they could consider: a   
   violation of federal campaign finance laws, falsification of other business   
   records or a violation of tax laws.   
      
   Jurors did not need to agree on what the underlying "unlawful means" were.   
   But they did have to unanimously conclude that Trump caused the business   
   records to be falsified, and that he "did so with intent to defraud that   
   included an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the   
   commission thereof."   
   What was Trump's defense?   
   Defense attorney Todd Blanche presents his closing argument in former   
   President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York on Tuesday, May 28,   
   2024.   
   Defense attorney Todd Blanche presents his closing argument in former   
   President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York on Tuesday, May 28,   
   2024. Jane Rosenberg   
      
   Trump's lawyers argued that the payments to Cohen were for his work as   
   Trump's attorney, not reimbursements for the Daniels payment.   
      
   The defense argued that the descriptions on the invoices and records were   
   accurate — Cohen held the title "personal attorney to the president" once   
   Trump took office, and was being paid for his legal services under an   
   unwritten retainer agreement. Therefore, their argument went, no business   
   records were falsified.   
      
   They also focused much of their firepower on portraying Cohen as a liar,   
   with the goal of discrediting his testimony. Cohen was the only witness who   
   testified that Trump knew about the true purpose of the reimbursements, a   
   crucial pillar of prosecutors' effort to show Trump's intent.   
      
   Ultimately, the jurors rejected the defense's arguments and sided with   
   prosecutors in finding Trump guilty.   
   When will Trump be sentenced?   
      
   Shortly after the verdict was handed down, Merchan, the judge, set Trump's   
   sentencing date for July 11, just days before the start of the Republican   
   National Convention.   
      
   Under New York law, each count of falsifying business records in the first   
   degree carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison and a $5,000   
   fine. But Merchan has broad discretion when it comes to imposing a   
   sentence. Most legal observers expect him to punish Trump with little or no   
   time behind bars, based on factors like Trump's status as a first-time   
   offender and his age. Merchan could instead rely on options like probation,   
   home confinement or solely a fine.   
      
   Trump has vowed to appeal the verdict, and any sentence could be delayed   
   until that process plays out.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
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