On the 10th (local time), US President-elect Donald Trump was found guilty in connection with the ‘sexual scandal hush money’ case in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, USA. President-elect Trump has made various attempts to avoid this ruling, but in the end, with today’s ruling, he became the first person in U.S. history to take office with an official ‘felon’ record. However, considering the realistic situation ahead of the inauguration ceremony on the 20th, the court sentenced him to ‘unconditional release’ without any punishment.
The ‘sexual scandal hush money’ case is that President-elect Trump had a sexual relationship with porn actress Stormy Daniels late in the 2016 election campaign and paid $130,000 (approximately 170 million won) to keep it from being made public. In relation to this, President-elect Trump has been accused of manipulating the company’s books to hide the details of the money paid. In 2023, the Manhattan District Prosecutor’s Office in New York indicted President-elect Trump on 34 charges, saying that his attempts to silence him and manipulate the ledgers were an attempt to deceive voters who participated in the presidential election and create favorable results. Last May, the 12-member jury unanimously found him guilty on all charges.
In the meantime, President-elect Trump’s side has cited last year’s Supreme Court decision that criminal immunity applies to public acts committed by the president while in office, and has argued that President-elect Trump, who was in the transition period at the time of the incident, should also be subject to this. He also demanded that the case itself be dismissed, saying that a guilty verdict would affect his performance as president.
However, Judge Juan M. Mercan, who was in charge of the case on this day, said, “Donald Trump, an ordinary citizen, and Donald Trump, a criminal defendant, do not deserve the protection of the office of president,” and added, “Protection is given to the office, not to the person holding the office.” “He was found guilty.
On this day, President-elect Trump had to choose between appearing in person or appearing online, but he chose online and attended the trial on TV. He continued today, saying, “This criminal trial and conviction was a very terrible experience,” and insisted, “I did not commit a crime.” Foreign media reported, “When the judge handed down the ruling, President-elect Trump pursed his lips and frowned, and when he said, ‘I hope you finish your second term well,’ he turned his head to the side.”
The judge initially could have sentenced President-elect Trump to up to four years in prison, but the unconditional release ruling maintained his guilt as a serious criminal but closed the case without punishment. The Associated Press reported, “Trump does not have to go to jail, pay fines or do community service, but the state of Florida, where he lives, prohibits voting for those convicted of felonies, so he cannot vote until he completes his sentence.” Additionally, under federal law, people convicted of felonies cannot possess firearms and must provide a DNA sample to the state’s crime data bank.
After the ruling, President-elect Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, “Today’s event was a despicable farce,” and “I will appeal this absurd claim and restore Americans’ trust in our once great judicial system.” .
New York = Correspondent Lim Woo-sun imsun@donga.com
Source: www.donga.com
