Washington — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday denounced his conviction on 34 state felony counts in the "hush money" trial in New York, calling it a "disgrace" and vowing to "fight to the end."
"This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," Trump told reporters after leaving the Manhattan courtroom where the jury delivered its verdict.
The former president has repeatedly lambasted the case brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, claiming the prosecution was politically motivated and designed to harm his candidacy for the White House.
Trump proclaimed to reporters that he is "a very innocent man."
"This is long from over," he said, an indication that he will pursue an appeal. He will hold a press conference on Friday at 11 a.m. ET at Trump Tower.
The jury of 12 New Yorkers reached its verdict after two days of deliberations, following a trial that spanned six weeks, finding that he broke the law by falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election. The decision is historic, making Trump the first former president to be convicted of a crime.
He is set to be sentenced July 11, days before the start of the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to formally receive the party's nomination for president.
Trump is poised to face off against President Biden in the November presidential election that will be a rematch of the 2020 contest.
"The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people, and they know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here," the former president told reporters.
Trump's reelection campaign swiftly used the conviction in a fundraising appeal, claiming the former president is a "political prisoner" and urging his supporters to help him win back the White House.
"I was just convicted in a rigged political witch hunt trial: I did nothing wrong," Trump wrote in a message to backers.
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
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