Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on Thursday, May 30, of 34 felony charges by the Manhattan District Attorney, marking a first in American history.
The Republican nominee was convicted on 34 charges of falsifying business records relating to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
In 2016, Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid a large sum of money to Daniels to cover up an alleged sexual encounter between the two. Trump later repaid Cohen by setting up a Limited Liability Company.
The case marks the first time that a former president has been convicted of felony charges, though the charges do not prohibit Trump from running for office.
West Virginia Gov. and Trump ally, Jim Justice, responded in a statement asking, “What is happening in America?”
Justice went on to call the verdict “deeply troubling” and a “politicized decision” as he referred to the case as a “witch hunt,” echoing the sentiment that Trump himself used in the past relating to his impeachment trials.
“President Trump has always put America first and fought for the values that make our nation great,” Justice said. “He and the entire Trump family are champions for America.
He reiterated his commitment to help Trump win re-election in a face-off against incumbent President Joe Biden in what is shaping up to be a rematch of the 2020 election.
“I will always treasure my friendship with Donald J. Trump and the Trump family and never waiver in my support,” he said. “We must do all we can to help re-elect President Trump in November.
Justice is currently campaigning to fill the U.S. Senate seat that will be left vacant after former Democrat, now Independent, Joe Manchin retires.
Trump is gearing up for a rematch against Biden while also facing several other legal battles, both civil and federal, including one in Georgia relating to election interference after allegedly asking Georgia officials to “come up with” votes in his re-election bid in 2020 and one in Washington D.C. over the incitement of the Jan. 6 riot and election interference.
Biden also faces challenges going into election season with abysmal polling with Morning Consult reporting 44% favorability from over 2,000 likely voters as critics have voiced disapproval over his handling of the economy and foreign policy, particularly relating to the Israel-Hamas war.
A lot will be determined on election day, Nov. 5, on whether Trump’s legal troubles have an impact on voters, but recent polling remains steady with Trump also residing in the low 40s, according to Morning Consult.
