Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records to influence the 2016 presidential campaign.
(Photo credit: Andrew Kelly/Pool via AP)
A New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts related to a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The prosecution alleged that Daniels was paid to keep secret a 2006 tryst she had with Trump in order to influence the results of the 2016 election, which Trump ultimately won. The verdict comes at a time when nationwide polling shows him around 2% ahead of President Biden.
The trial lasted a month and a half, with the verdict coming swiftly. In addition to the fiery testimonies of Daniels and Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, Trump was held in contempt of court ten times and fined $10,000 for violating a gag order against attacking people involved with the trial. Many Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, traveled to New York to speak out in support of the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
Trump, who did not testify in his defense, will be sentenced on July 11 and is likely to appeal the verdict. The result may impact Trump’s chances to reclaim the White House, however. Recent Yahoo News/YouGov polling suggested that a conviction would hurt Trump in head-to-head polling against President Joe Biden.
Many proponents of marijuana law reform are actively supporting President Biden’s reelection, as it would prevent the Trump Administration from interrupting efforts to move marijuana to Schedule III or potentially deschedule it altogether—a goal many Democratic leaders are actively pursuing.
Although former President Trump has not stated his support for rescheduling or descheduling marijuana, his administration adopted a hands-off approach and did not interfere with state marijuana laws during his presidency. Trump has so far given no indication that he would seek to reverse the DEA’s rescheduling decision if he’s elected this November.
