WASHINGTON–President Joe Biden commented for the first time on Friday on former President Donald Trump’s conviction in a New York trial, calling the claims that the trial was rigged “reckless” and “dangerous.”
“The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed,” President Biden told reporters before delivering a speech on the Middle East.
“Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself. It was a state case, not a federal case,” he continued.
The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government announced on May 31 that it will demand Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his senior counsel, Matthew Colangelo, testify on June 13 following the historic conviction of former President Donald Trump.
The U.S. Secret Service on Friday said that the conviction of former President Donald Trump would have “no bearing” on whether the agency would protect him.
In a statement to The Epoch Times, the agency said that “today’s outcome has no bearing on the manner in which the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission.”
While it did not elaborate or provide more details, the Secret Service added that “our security measures will proceed unchanged.”
Former President Donald Trump on Friday morning responded to his felony conviction for falsifying business records in New York, saying the trial was “very unfair” and said his team will appeal the case.
“If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” he said. “These are bad people ... these are sick people.”
On multiple occasions, President Trump was critical of the judge overseeing the case, at one point citing his admonishment of one of the Trump team’s witnesses, Robert Costello.
A Manhattan jury took fewer than 12 hours to return a verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, finding him guilty of 34 counts of falsification of business records with the intent to conceal another crime.
The former president’s conviction makes him the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
Short of a successful appeal, he could now be facing such penalties as jail time, probation, or fines.
After weeks of testimony, the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump is now in the hands of the jury, with the outcome unpredictable.
Without cameras in the courtroom, news outlets relied on those attending the trial, many not even attending every day, to “report” whether Trump or the prosecution is “winning.” With some exceptions, the hosts and pundits on outlets like CNN and MSNBC argued both the law and evidence warranted a guilty verdict. Host and analysts on conservative outlets saw the trial differently, and argued the law and facts compel at least a hung jury, if not an acquittal, despite the overwhelmingly anti-Trump Manhattan voters.
Some Democrats took a victory lap over the unprecedented conviction of former President Donald Trump on May 30.
After more than 11 hours of deliberation, 12 jurors reached the unanimous verdict in the case at Manhattan Criminal Court, convicting the presumptive GOP presidential nominee on 34 first-degree counts of falsifying business records related to a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
While GOP lawmakers expressed anger over the verdict, Democrat lawmakers on social media celebrated President Trump becoming a felon.
A Manhattan jury took fewer than 12 hours to return a verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, finding him guilty of 34 counts of falsification of business records with the intent to conceal another crime.
The former president’s conviction makes him the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
Short of a successful appeal, he could now be facing such penalties as jail time, probation, or fines.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to reveal whether prosecutors will seek a prison sentence for former President Donald Trump after a guilty verdict was returned on May 30.
“While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived today at this trial and ultimately this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors,” he said at a press conference held hours after jurors convicted the former president.
Mr. Bragg declined to answer questions related to sentencing, saying only that they would present their arguments to the court through motions and at the hearing.
The outcome of former President Donald Trump’s New York records-falsification trial is most likely to influence undecided voters—a sliver of the electorate that could exert an outsized impact on the Nov. 5 presidential election.
“This is a pivotal moment in the 2024 race,” American political history professor Jeff Bloodworth told The Epoch Times as jurors began deliberations on May 29.
Mr. Bloodworth, who teaches at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, said suburban college-educated voters probably would allow the trial’s outcome to influence their votes.
Former President Donald Trump responded after a jury in Manhattan found him guilty of falsifying business records, saying it’s a “disgrace” and a “rigged” affair.
The former president made the comments to reporters after leaving the courtroom, also saying it’s a “witch hunt” allegedly carried out at the behest of the White House.
“The real verdict is going to be on November 5 by the people,” he said, adding: “This was a rigged decision from day one.”