STORMY Daniels’ husband has said his wife feels “a little vindicated” after former President Donald Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records in a bombshell ruling on Thursday.
Barrett Blade said his wife is still processing the news of Trump’s conviction in the historic hush money trial.
5
5
“She was brought into this. This wasn’t her seeking justice for herself. She was standing up for herself early on and saying what was right, but this whole hush money trial is really nothing … it’s not her story,” he told CNN.
However, Blade said that Daniels “feels a little vindicated that, you know, she was telling the truth.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche continued to defend his client after the verdict, saying that it was difficult for his team to get a fair trial.
“I very much believe that the jury should have found President Trump not guilty. I mean…in my soul I believe that,” Blanche told CNN.
On May 7, Daniels testified that she and Trump, 77, had a brief, sexual encounter in 2006 at a Lake Tahoe hotel room.
The adult film star told the jury that she hit Trump’s backside with a rolled-up magazine before having unprotected sex with him.
At the time, Trump’s wife, Melania, was pregnant with their son Barron.
A month before the 2016 presidential election, Trump instructed his then-attorney Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about the alleged affair, said prosecutors.
Trump has denied both the affair and the act of using his funds to pay off Daniels.
During testimony presented by the state, the prosecution argued that Trump disguised the reimbursement payments he made to Cohen as legal retainers.
Blade, who works in the adult entertainment industry, said he would have supported the jury decision either way.
“Hopefully people will finally start seeing the truth and if they do, they do, if they don’t, they don’t. I don’t know that that ever changes,” he said.
TRUMP’S LAWYER SPEAKS OUT
Blanche told Fox‘s Jesse Watters that he did not think Trump received a fair trial.
“I mean, we have been saying for over a year that we couldn’t get a fair trial in Manhattan, we couldn’t get a fair trial with the judge. And it played out in lots of ways exactly as we expected,” said Blanche.
“And what happens in a trial is, is, you show up for trial and all those decisions that have been made in the weeks and months leading up to trial, they matter, the evidence that can come in, the evidence that cannot come in.
“And when we showed up at trial, that’s where we really felt that we weren’t getting a fair shake.”
Blanche claimed there was a “bias” in the jury that the defense “could not get past.”
“Every single person on that jury knew Donald Trump either as president, as a candidate, from The Apprentice, and so I don’t accept that this was a fair place to try,” he said.
‘A RIGGED TRIAL’
Trump slammed the guilty verdict while speaking to reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse, calling himself a “very innocent man.”
“This was a disgrace,” said Trump, who became the first former US President to be convicted of a felony.
“This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt. It’s a rigged trial, a disgrace.
“They wouldn’t give us a venue change. We were at 5% or 6% in this district, in this area.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial, but the real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people, and they know what happened here; everybody knows what happened here,” he added, referring to the presidential election.
“We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man and it’s okay, I’m fighting for our country, I’m fighting for our constitution.
“Our whole country is being rigged right now. This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound and hurt a political opponent.”
Donald Trump’s next steps
What are Donald Trump’s next steps?
A jury in New York City has found Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money he had paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
the first former US President to be convicted of a felony but remains the Republican frontrunner in his bid for the White House against Joe Biden.
Trump’s sentencing date is scheduled for July 11, 2024, however, his attorneys may try to push this until after the presidential election on November 5, which is unlikely to happen without good cause.
Trump, 77, is still allowed to speak to the press, travel outside the state, and continue his presidential campaign.
His guilty verdict also doesn’t automatically make him a convicted felon.
The charges against Trump are Class E felonies, the least serious category in New York law with each count carrying a maximum four-year prison sentence.
Trump could also pay fines and restitution as part of his sentence or face probation.
Judge Juan Merchan said he is weighing several factors regarding Trump’s sentence, including his age and lack of a criminal record, however, the former President’s actions during the trial could also play a role in the judge’s decision.
A guilty verdict doesn’t prevent Trump from running for president.
The US Constitution requires that potential US presidents be:
- Natural-born US citizens
- At least 35 years old
- Have lived in the country for at least 14 years
Felons are not barred from holding office.
Trump called out Judge Juan Merchan, saying that he should’ve never been allowed to oversee the trial.
“We have a country that’s in big trouble, but this was a rigged decision from day one with a conflicted judge who should’ve never been allowed to try this case,” he said.
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11 at 10 am EST and he is expected to appeal.
A FIGHTING CHANCE
Despite his conviction, Trump can still be president if he’s elected in November.
“There’s nothing prohibiting a convicted felon from being president of the United States,” former prosecutor Neama Rahmani told The U.S. Sun.
Rahmani added that Trump’s presidency wouldn’t be affected even if he’s jailed for his crimes.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“Theoretically, Trump could be in prison and still be president of the United States, earning the Constitution,” he told The U.S. Sun.
“The only requirements are that he be 35 and be born in the United States and not have engaged in an insurrection.”
5
5
