Trump says he plans to appeal, blames Cohen for guilty verdict
(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump on Friday lashed out after a jury found him guilty of 34 felonies and blamed his former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen.
Trump spoke out at Trump Tower in New York after Thursday’s guilty verdict.
Trump said if he could be prosecuted, all other Americans could be prosecuted.
“We’re living in a fascist state,” Trump said as he defended himself from the podium.
During his New York trial, Trump declined to take the stand in his own defense.
“There was no crime here,” Trump said. “Everybody says there’s no crime here.”
Trump said he did nothing wrong.
Trump blamed Cohen, his former personal attorney who testified against him. Still under a gag order, Trump didn’t mention his former attorney by name but called him a “sleaze bag.”
Trump also blamed the judge for what he said were unfair and biased rulings from the bench. Trump has made Justice Juan Merchan a frequent target of his attacks.
“So we’re going to be appealing this scam,” Trump said. “We’re going to be appealing it on many different things. [The judge] wouldn’t allow us to have witnesses, he wouldn’t allow us to talk, he wouldn’t allow us to do anything. The judge was a tyrant.”
Trump also announced a record $34.8 million fundraising haul after the guilty verdict.
On Thursday, Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records for disguising hush money payments to an adult film actress as legal costs ahead of the 2016 election.
Under New York state law, falsifying business records in the first degree is a Class E felony that carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Judge Merchan set sentencing for 10 a.m. July 11, days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, scheduled for July 15-18, when Trump is likely to be selected as the party’s nominee for president.
