Trump rails against 'rigged' conviction as campaign rakes in donations after guilty verdict

Progressive megadonor George Soros's son and heir to his enterprise advised Democrats on Friday to emphasize former President Trump's status as a "convicted felon," after he was found guilty by a New York jury on charges filed by a district attorney that the powerful Soros family helped elect.

"Democrats should refer to Trump as a convicted felon at every opportunity," Alexander Soros wrote on X.

"Repetition is the key to a successful message and we want people to wrestle with the notion of hiring a convicted felon for the most important job in the country!" Soros said.

The Soros family has bankrolled campaigns of prosecutors across the country blamed for being lax on crime.

Fox News previously reported that George Soros gave Color of Change PAC $1 million in 2021, which spent a significant sum in support of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's candidacy.

Fox News Digital reviewed campaign finance records that showed his son and daughter-in-law Jonathan and Jennifer Allan Soros donated directly to the then-candidate's campaign.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, warned on Friday that former President Trump's legal issues are a "distraction" and have given the Biden campaign a "free pass."

"Yesterday, a New York jury found former president Trump guilty of falsifying business records. This is the first step in the legal process. The former president has the right to appeal and I fully expect him to exercise that right," she said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday after two days of jury deliberations.

"It is a shame that this election has focused on personalities and legal problems rather than a debate about policies that would lift up Americans," she said. "These distractions have given the Biden campaign a free pass as the focus has shifted from Biden’s indefensible record and the damage his policies have done to Alaska and our nation’s economy, to Trump’s legal drama."

"A Republican nominee without this baggage would have a clear path to victory," she said.

Democrats facing the most competitive Senate elections heading into November have kept relatively quiet on the guilty verdict handed to former President Trump on Thursday as they fight off the potential for Republicans to flip their seats.

Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Bob Casey, D-Penn., didn't respond to the news of Trump's conviction on Thursday night or Friday morning, while their colleagues on both sides of the aisle sounded off.

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records, which he did to cover payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels that were made after an alleged affair with her.

Montana, Ohio, and Nevada are home to the most competitive Senate races in the country, according to non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, in which incumbent Democrats contend with a real risk of losing their seats, in addition to the Senate majority.

"Senator Tester respects the judicial process and believes everyone should be treated fairly before the courts, and voters will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November," a Tester spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday afternoon.

"Every American, even a former president, is subject to the rule of law and must be held accountable for criminal actions," said Rosen in a statement. "A jury has made its decision, and I respect our legal system and the outcome of this fair and impartial process."

In her own statement, Baldwin told Fox News Digital, "Donald Trump had his day in court. A jury of his peers saw that there was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt he was guilty. No one, including a former president, is above the law."

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson Mike Berg slammed the senators' mild responses, saying in a statement to Fox News Digital, "All of these Democrats endorsed Joe Biden, who is leading this witch hunt, so it's clear they support his legal warfare against President Trump. Democrat Senator Jon Tester even advocated for physical violence against President Trump, so his refusal to embrace the verdict is very surprising."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Americans are reacting to the guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump , with some conservatives in New York City saying it would make them more likely to vote for him, with liberals saying justice needs to be done.

"I didn't like Trump in the beginning but I saw what he did for the country," one young woman told Fox News' Bryan Llenas. "It's way better than what we're doing now."

She also said the verdict was motivating her to vote for him in November.

"Its a sham, but the real verdict will be on Nov. 5," one Trump supporter said. "That is when the real verdict will happen."

Meanwhile, one woman who is a regular liberal activist dismissed questions about whether it would help Trump in the upcoming presidential contest.

"The truth is I don't think that we can think about that...we have to pursue justice," she said, before joining in a chant on "No-one is above the law" with other activists.

Republican senators signed a public letter to the White House on Friday, vowing to prevent the upper chamber from accomplishing anything — from appropriations to confirmations — in the wake of former President Trump's guilty verdict.

"As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart," read a letter led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

On Thursday, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying documents to cover up payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels, a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair in 2006.

The lawmakers laid out that they will no longer allow the Senate to run smoothly, by confirming President Biden’s nominees or allowing Congress to move forward with funding for the next fiscal year.

"Strongly worded statements are not enough. Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable. We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned Senators to join our stand," Lee announced on X.

Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; and Ron Johnson,R-Wisc., joined Lee in stating they will refuse to allow any increases for funding that are unrelated to security.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance said Friday that Democrats "cooked up" the trial against former President Donald Trump in an effort to "distract from their failures as a governing party."

"The Democrats cooked up this sham prosecution so they could distract from their failures as a governing party, and I just don't think the American people are gonna go for it," Vance said during an appearance on Fox News Channel's "The Story."

Vance said he was unsure if President Biden was "directly involved" in the Trump trial, but noted that he was "indirectly involved.

"I don't know if he was directly involved in it, but we know he was indirectly involved in it because the number three person at the Department of Justice left the DOJ to join the New York prosecutor's office and actually go after Donald Trump."

Vance, who sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this week requesting an investigation into the gag order of Trump, also insisted that voters are "desperate" for elected Republicans to push back on the Democrats' agenda.

"Voters are so desperate for people to fight back against this lawfare and that's exactly what it is, they don't just want us to write letters, they don't want us to just criticize, as important as that is, they actually want us to do something," Vance said.

"I think what a lot of us are saying is, look, if they're gonna try to throw Donald Trump in prison, we're taking the gloves off and we're fully pushing back against their agenda at all levels," he continued. "Now, of course, the agenda itself is a disaster and it is telling that Joe Biden is not talking about lowering inflation because he can't. He's not talking about securing the border because he can't."

Judge Jeanine Pirro said Friday that the conviction of former President Donald Trump in the New York trial gives prosecutors leeway to go after "whomever they want" to now.

"You've got tens of thousands of prosecutors in this country who now know they have the green light to go after whomever they want to in terms of political prosecution," Pirro said during an appearance on "America Reports."

Pirro, a co-host of Fox News Channel's "The Five," said Trump's conviction was a "gut punch" to many Americans, adding, "We do not do this to candidates who are running for president."

"I don't wanna hear you're not above the law, you're not below the law. I mean, we all argue that in normal cases," she continued. "You have a man who's a former president who's running for president being prosecuted, literally, by a progressive DA..."

Pirro also outlined what she believes is next for Trump in terms of his sentencing and appeal.

"The sentencing will occur on July 11, and, of course, the defense has the opportunity to say in front of Judge Juan Merchan to make a post conviction motion that the evidence is contrary, the verdict is contrary to the evidence. I mean, that's not going anywhere. We obviously know that," Pirro said.

"Once the sentencing occurs, they can appeal and they can appeal to appellate court to try to stay that sentencing until the appeal has been ended or perfected," she added. "The appellate division handles it first, of course, and it will take probably six months to a year, and then probably the court of appeals."

President Biden took heat Friday for his strange response to a question about his political rival's historic criminal conviction following remarks from the White House, flashing what some called an "evil" grin.

Biden, 81, said Friday after former President Donald Trump  was found guilty in his New York criminal trial "he'll be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision, just like everyone else has that opportunity." Biden added that it was "reckless, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict."

As Biden walked away from the podium, a reporter shouted out a question: Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response to that sir?"

The president paused, turned to the reporters and flashed what some called a "disturbing" smile for almost 10 seconds before walking away, not offering a verbal response.

"Do you think a conviction will have an impact on the campaign?" the reporter pressed, without a response from the president.

Sage Steele, a former ESPN reporter, reacted to the video on X, saying "Honestly, I rarely use the word evil to describe another human being but….."

Amber Duke, an editor for The Spectator, posted similarly on X, "The President of the United States' disturbing reaction to being asked if Trump is a political prisoner and if he is responsible for Trump's criminal conviction."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brianna Herlihy

A CNN legal analyst is causing a stir with a new article claiming that the charges on which former President Donald Trump was convicted are "nearly entirely unprecedented."

Elie Honig, a former state and federal prosecutor and a legal analyst for CNN wrote in New York Magazine, in a piece called "Prosecutors got Trump -- But they also contorted the law" about his issues with the case.

"The judge donated money — a tiny amount, $35, but in plain violation of a rule prohibiting New York judges from making political donations of any kind — to a pro-Biden, anti-Trump political operation, including funds that the judge earmarked for 'resisting the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s radical right-wing legacy.' Would folks have been just fine with the judge staying on the case if he had donated a couple bucks to “Re-elect Donald Trump, MAGA forever!”? Absolutely not," he writes.

"Most importantly, the DA’s charges against Trump push the outer boundaries of the law and due process. That’s not on the jury. That’s on the prosecutors who chose to bring the case and the judge who let it play out as it did.”

"The charges against Trump are obscure, and nearly entirely unprecedented. In fact, no state prosecutor — in New York, or Wyoming, or anywhere — has ever charged federal election laws as a direct or predicate state crime, against anyone, for anything. None. Ever. Even putting aside the specifics of election law, the Manhattan DA itself almost never brings any case in which falsification of business records is the only charge."

As of early Friday afternoon, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has not commented on the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump

Haley's social media accounts have made no mention of the conviction as of early Friday afternoon and neither she, nor her representatives, responded to Fox News Digital's repeated requests for comment.

While Haley has been active on social media, sharing updates about her visit to Israel on her X account, she has made no mention of Trump's conviction.

Trump and Haley's strong working relationship deteriorated after Haley entered the 2024 GOP primary field despite previously saying she would not, which the former president took issue with during the campaign multiple times.

Despite the shots taken at Trump, Haley ultimately came out and endorsed Trump this month.

"I will be voting for Trump," Haley said during an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington.

Meanwhile, amid Haley's silence, Republicans have rushed to his defense, as support for the former president continues to pour in on social media.

Read the full report by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller and Brandon Gillespie here.

Fox Business host Lisa "Kennedy" Montgomery said Friday she believes former President Donald Trump should have been more "disciplined" during his Trump Tower remarks, insisting the verdict in his New York trial ushered in a "new phase of the campaign" that he needs to reflect to voters.

"I actually thought his speech today was less disciplined than it should have been because we're in a completely new phase of the campaign, and this is a moment where a lot of people who are on the fence are looking to him for his reaction," said Kennedy, the host of "Kennedy" on Fox Business Network.

"He's been so disciplined throughout the trial, I think he could've used more of that today," she added. "He was a little bit repetitive, went on a little longer than he should have, but he touched on some really key issues that have turned people who maybe couldn't stand his personality four years ago ... very curious."

Kennedy said Trump's fighting "against a machine that has put so many people in prison and so many people in jeopardy."

"Right now, we are in the sugar-high, the liberal sugar-high, in the wake of the verdict coming out yesterday," she added.

As Republican lawmakers weigh holding hearings to scrutinize prosecutors in the New York v. Trump trial, the Senate's top Democrat is pleading with allies of former President Trump to let the legal process play out as the former president looks to appeal his guilty verdict.

"The undeniable fact is Donald Trump went through the same legal process that all Americans go through, he was tried according to the facts and the law, and he was found guilty by a jury of his peers," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Friday.

"He’s now a convicted felon," the New York Democrat added.

Trump vowed to appeal the verdict in remarks to the press in New York City on Friday morning.

"As Donald Trump considers his next steps within the legal system, there should continue to be no outside political influence, intimidation, or interference. I encourage Mr. Trump’s supporters and critics alike to let the process move forward according to the law," said Schumer.

Schumer's second statement on the Trump verdict, the first of which came on X on Thursday night, followed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan's demand that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo appear next month for a hearing regarding "the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julia Johnson

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson called conviction of former President Donald Trump "nakedly political" and a "machine-gun mob-style hit-job," predicting that it would and make a victory in November and "more likely, not less."

"Every time that jury foreman pronounced the word 'Guilty' in the Manhattan court on Thursday, he should by all normal logic have been dealing a death-blow to Donald Trump's hopes of regaining the White House. He said it not just once but 34 times," Johnson wrote in a column published in the Daily Mail.

"This was no ordinary political assassination. This was a machine-gun mob-style hit-job on Trump," he said. It was HISTORIC, they all said. HISTORIC. Because there was now a real chance that Trump could actually be incarcerated – at the crucial moment in the Presidential election, when he is nailed on as the Republican candidate," he continued.

"Surely no one would vote for a convicted felon – let alone one who might actually begin his term of office in the New York correctional facility in Sing Sing. Surely this was the end of his poll lead, they said.Surely this was the end of his run altogether..."

"And then the first poll appeared," Johnson continued. "To the evident amazement of the pundits it appeared that most voters were indifferent to the verdict – by quite a large majority. But at least in the poll I saw there was an astonishing 15 per cent who were now more likely to vote for him, after the conviction, than they were before."

"The Left-liberal lawyers have been immensely foolish. They have been using the very techniques – confected legal proceedings – that are used by tyrannical governments around the world to keep their opponents tied up and unable to contest elections," he added.

"By pursuing these cases, they have helped to make his victory more likely, not less," he said.

Former President Donald Trump's Republican presidential primary opponents offered a variety of reactions to the guilty verdict in his New York City trial, ranging from blasting Democrats for pursuing the charges against him to complete silence.

The jury found Trump guilty Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott posted a video of himself on X blasting what he called a "hoax," a "sham" and evidence of an "obsolete injustice justice system."

"DA Bragg and the judge should be ashamed of themselves. This isn't just ridiculous, this actually erodes the confidence that Americans have in the justice system. Unbelievable," Scott said.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum wrote, "This verdict is a travesty of justice. The judge was a Biden donor. The prosecutors were Biden supporters. This Lawfare should scare every American. The American people will have their say in November," while entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy predicted the trial's outcome would ultimately backfire, referencing District Attorney Alvin Bragg's promise to "nail Trump," and Judge Juan Merchan's daughter being a "Democratic operative."

Former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Digital Trump's conviction was "an outrage and disservice to the nation."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote, "Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America — all in an effort to 'get' Donald Trump." 

Conservative commentator Larry Elder called the verdict an "outrage" and declared that "a monster has been unleashed."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Brandon Gillespie

Tech entrepreneur and free speech advocate Elon Musk will hold a live video town hall event with former President Donald Trump after he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying businesses records on Thursday.

Citing an individual familiar with the plans, the Wall Street Journal, the first outlet to report on Musk's town hall event with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, reported that X is "joining with the television network NewsNation to air" presidential candidate town hall events live on both platforms.

X users will reportedly be able to submit questions for the candidates, and so far X is only planning such events for presidential candidates.

"This will be interesting," Musk remarked of the town hall in a Friday morning post to X.

A jury found Trump guilty on all counts after two days of deliberations in his New York criminal trial on Thursday.

Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election.

Musk reacted to Trump's conviction in a post to X early Friday morning, writing, "Indeed, great damage was done today to the public’s faith in the American legal system."

"If a former President can be criminally convicted over such a trivial matter – motivated by politics, rather than justice – then anyone is at risk of a similar fate," he added.

The Wall Street Journal reported that President Biden's re-election campaign declined the invitation to appear for a town hall with Musk. A similar event is reportedly being planned with independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.

Trump's sentencing hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Liberal actor Robert De Niro will no longer receive a coveted National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) award after he unleashed an anti-Trump tirade outside the 45th president’s Manhattan trial this week.

 The NAB was set to honor De Niro with its prestigious NAB Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award next week. But the "proudly bipartisan" group rescinded the accolade after De Niro attended a Biden-Harris press conference and slammed former President Trump as a "danger" to Americans who "wants to destroy" New York City and the nation.

 "This event is proudly bipartisan, uniting those from across the political spectrum to celebrate the impactful work of local broadcasters and our partners," an NAB spokesperson told The Hill. 

Read the full story from Brian Flood here.

The Biden-Harris 2024 campaign responded Friday to former President Donald Trump's "unhinged" speech from Trump Tower, accusing him of being "confused" and "desperate" while "sowing chaos".

“America just witnessed a confused, desperate, and defeated Donald Trump ramble about his own personal grievances and lie about the American justice system, leaving anyone watching with one obvious conclusion: This man cannot be president of the United States," Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler said in a statement. "Unhinged by his 2020 election loss and spiraling from his criminal convictions, Trump is consumed by his own thirst for revenge and retribution. He thinks this election is about him. But it’s not. It’s about the American people: lowering their costs, protecting their freedoms, defending their democracy."

“That’s what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are fighting for. Donald Trump is sowing chaos, attacking the rule of law, and fighting for the only thing in the world he gives a damn about: Donald Trump.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Friday that there's "good reason" for voters to be motivated following the conviction of former President Donald Trump in New York, saying the "entire thing is absurd."

"This entire thing is absurd," Johnson said during an appearance on "Fox and Friends" Friday morning. "I'm a lawyer. I was a litigator for 20 years. I was in court with President Trump a few weeks ago to see this for myself. What happened there was outrageous, and you're right, the American people see it."

"This is a purely political exercise, not a legal one. Everybody knows that, they know intuitively that it's wrong and the people are outraged," he added.

Johnson, who noted he's been traveling to different states throughout the country in recent days, said, "I'm telling you guys, something is happening out there."

"People see what's going on, they see that the Democrats are so desperate because President Trump is crushing Joe Biden in the polls. They see the Democrat Party and the left so desperate to stop him that they'll risk the destruction of our entire legal system to do it," he said. "That's not hyperbole. That's what's going on here."

Johnson also noted that Republicans "broke records" on their fundraising platforms after Trump was found guilty by the jury on Thursday.

The speaker also touted a new website where people can support the former president, saying it's how members in Congress will "stand" with Trump and "make sure the right verdict is rendered Nov. 5.

Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump's sentencing hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., received backlash on social media in response to her reaction to the criminal conviction of former President Trump in a post where she mocked the former president.

"Trump shut your mouth!" Waters posted on X following Trump's conviction.

"You talk about saving the Constitution? You’re the one who has disrespected the Constitution and you have supporters who believe we should get rid of the Constitution! Just shut your mouth, you’re convicted on all counts!"

The post, which ignited an immediate push back from conservatives on social media, received over 1 million views on X.

"Woman who implored supporters to physically get up in the faces of any Trump administration official has thoughts to share...," Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X.

"Literally no one who supports Trump nor Trump wants to get rid of the Constitution," former U.S. Attorney and Executive Director of Right on Crime Brett Tolman posted on X.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller

FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence reacted on Friday to the criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump in a New York City courtroom and said a "terrible message" has been sent.

"The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation," Pence told Fox News Digital.

"No one is above the law, but our courts must not become a tool to be used against political opponents," Pence continued. "To millions of Americans, this was nothing more than a political prosecution driven by a Manhattan DA who ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president and this conviction undermines confidence in our system of justice."

"This conviction also sends a terrible message to the wider world about the American justice system and only further divides us at a time when the American people are struggling under the failed policies of the Biden administration at home and abroad," he added.

Pence continued, "Having been convicted in a court of law, the former president has every right to appeal this conviction and I trust it will be overturned on appeal in a manner that will restore public confidence in our system of justice and equal treatment under the law."

Trump was found guilty on Thursday on all counts in his historic and unprecedented criminal trial, making him the first former president of the United States to be convicted of a crime.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller

Former Deputy Assistant AG John Yoo told Fox News on Friday that there were serious legal errors in the Trump case, and the verdict could do significant damage to the U.S. political system.

"It doesn't matter what the facts were, because there are serious legal errors here," he said on "America's Newsroom."

Former President Trump was found guilty by a New York jury of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday after two days of jury deliberations.

Yoo said that it was a complicated case, with a misdemeanor that became a felony, that he says the prosecution didn't prove.

"I think that alone is grounds for reversal," he said.

But he went on to say that the verdict will damage the political and constitutional system of the United States.

"The more frivolous, the weaker the kind of case you can bring against a president, the more this invites further prosecutions of presidents, and presidents are now going to have to worry about their legal liabilities," he said.

Former President Donald Trump said Friday that Judge Juan Merchan is a "tyrant" that displayed "crazed" behavior during the New York trial.

"We're going to be appealing this scam. We're going to be appealing it on many different things. He wouldn't allow us to have witnesses, he wouldn't allow us to talk, he wouldn't allow us to do anything," Trump said of Merchan. "The judge was a tyrant."

"You got to see that with Bob Costello, a fine man," Trump continued from Trump Tower in New York City. "I've never seen anything like it, and neither has anybody that was in that courthouse, where he demanded that the courthouse be cleared. Now, the good news is most of the people in the courthouse were the media. And anybody that was in the media, if you're fair, you'll say, 'Wow, that was anger. That was crazed. He was crazed.'"

"The reason that Bob Costello acted a little bit upset, which I think he has a right to, was that every question he was being asked was being objected to by the other side and sustained by the judge. Sustained. Sustained -- I think he did it many times. ... And these were basic questions," Trump added.

"I never saw anybody treated that way by a judge," the former president added.

Former President Donald Trump is widely expected to appeal Thursday afternoon's historic verdict. If he does, it will go to the First Judicial Department of New York's Appellate Division, consisting of 21 justices, with Dianne Renwick -- appointed by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in 2023 -- serving as the presiding justice.

Only one justice, David Friedman, appointed by Republican Governor George Pataki in 1999, is Republican, while the rest were appointed by Democratic governors.

A sizable majority were appointed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, with 14 justices owing their appointments to the now-disgraced politician. Hochul has appointed three justices to the division in addition to Renwick. Two were appointed by David Paterson, who left office in 2010.

This does not mean that the court will automatically be stacked against the former president. Trump and his legal team have presented cases to the First Department before, and as recently as this week they have had some success. On Thursday, a five-judge panel from the First Department sided with Trump in a ruling clearing the way for him to sue his niece, Mary Trump.

Read the full report by Anders Hagstrom here.

Former President Donald Trump on Friday referred to his former lawyer Michael Cohen as a "sleazebag" while not mentioning his name directly due to an ongoing gag order.

Trump was found guilty by a New York jury of  34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday after two days of jury deliberations.

In a speech on Friday, he took a swing at Cohen who had celebrated the verdict after it was announced.

"Now I'm not allowed to use his name because of the gag order, but he was a sleazebag," Trump said.

"Brace yourself," former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, Ari Fleischer, said in a post on X Friday morning.

"It won’t surprise me if Judge Merchan sentences Trump to prison," Fleischer wrote. "He’s a Biden donor and demonstrated bias throughout the trial. For D activists who are convinced Trump is a threat to democracy and must be stopped, prison is where he belongs."

"Don’t rule it out," he added.

Judge Juan Merchan, the presiding judge over former President Donald Trump's hush money trial, has several options for sentencing, including home confinement, probation, conditional discharge, time served, or a fine of up to $5,000 or double the defendant's gain from the crime. Home confinement at Mar-a-Lago could allow for events and fundraising, while probation may restrict out-of-state travel and subject Trump to searches or drug tests. Conditional discharge entails community service and adherence to certain conditions, while time served or unconditional discharge may be considered if the trial is deemed sufficient punishment.

Trump's team is expected to ask for a delay in enforcing any sentence or conditions while they appeal, but it's up to the appellate court to decide if it will be granted.

Former President Donald Trump held a press conference Friday at Trump Tower in New York following his unprecedented trial resulting in conviction of 34 counts of falsifying businesses records.

The former president and presumptive GOP nominee in the 2024 election said he "wanted to testify" on his own behalf, but that "the theory is you never testify."

"I would have testified. I wanted to testify. The theory is you never testify because as soon as you tell anybody...if it were George Washington, don't testify because they'll get you in something that you said slightly wrong and then they sue you for perjury. But I didn't care about that, I wanted to," Trump said.

"But the judge allowed them to go into everything that I was ever involved in. Not this case. Everything that I was ever involved in, which is a first. In other words, you could go into every single thing that I ever did -- was he a bad boy here? Was he a bad boy there?"

"I would have loved to have testified -- to this day, I would have liked to have testified," Trump said, saying that he discussed testifying with his lawyer.

"But you would have been, you would have said something out of whack like it was a beautiful sunny day and it was actually raining out," Trump said.

He added, "I very much appreciate the big crowd of people outside. That's incredible what's happening. The level of support has been incredible."

"It's very important, far beyond me," Trump said about the case. "And this can't be allowed to happen to other presidents. It should never be allowed to happen in the future. But this is far beyond me. This is bigger than Trump. This is bigger than me. This is bigger than my presidency," he said.

The House Weaponization Subcommittee announced Friday morning that chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will "demand" Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo appear for a hearing next month to answer questions about the "political prosecution" of former President Donald Trump.

In a post to X, the subcommittee said Jordan will "demand Alvin Bragg and Matthew Colangelo to appear for hearing on June 13, 2024 to testify about the unprecedented political prosecution of President Trump."

The hearing will take place the same day Judge Juan Merchan ordered both parties to file motions by.

In letters to both Bragg and Colangelo, Jordan wrote, "This hearing will examine actions by state and local prosecutors to engage politically motivated prosecutions of federal officials, in particular the recent political prosecution of President Donald Trump by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office."

Earlier this month, Fox News Digital reported the Democratic National Committee paid Colangelo thousands of dollars for "political consulting" in 2018.

Colangelo delivered opening statements in the unprecedented criminal trial of Trump and served as a top prosecutor with Bragg's office on the case.

Trump's sentencing is slated to take place July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this update

President Biden on Friday will make his first public remarks since his predecessor and 2024 campaign rival was convicted in a New York court.

Former President Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York v. Trump. 

Biden on Friday will speak later in the day, but it will be on the topic of the Middle East.

"Later today, I’ll deliver remarks on the Middle East. Tune in here," he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It was not immediately clear if Biden will address the Trump conviction.

Donald Trump  is cashing in on his convictions in the first trial of a former or current president in the nation's history.

The former president's campaign announced on Friday morning that it had hauled in $34.8 million in fundraising from 6pm ET to midnight on Thursday, immediately after Trump was found guilty of all 34 felony counts in his criminal trial in New York City.

The campaign highlighted in a release that they raked in "a record shattering small dollar fundraising haul" as Trump battles President Biden in a 2024 election rematch.

They said the haul was "nearly double the biggest day ever recorded for the Trump campaign on the WinRed platform" and emphasized that the guilty verdicts "have awakened the MAGA movement like never before."

"From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors," Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote in a statement.

They spotlighted that "not only was the amount historic, but 29.7% of yesterday's donor's were brand-new donors to the WinRed platform."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Paul Steinhauser

Former President Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to again dispute the charges against him, on which he was found guilty by a New York jury on Thursday.

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump said that the crime emerged from the designation of a payment to his lawyer as a "legal expense."

"It was, in fact, a LEGAL EXPENSE," he said. That is the so-called 'CRIME.'"

"On top of that, I wasn’t allowed by the judge to use, in any form, the standard RELIANCE ON COUNSEL DEFENSE (ADVICE OF COUNSEL!). My lawyer, at the time, did virtually everything on the NDA (NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT), and I assumed that what he did was correct. I did nothing wrong, and frankly, there was nothing done wrong - NDA’s are standard, commonly used, and LEGAL," he said.

He finished the post with: "MAGA2024! WITCH HUNT! IF THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ME, IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!

Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove joined "America Reports" Thursday to discuss recent polling on whether Americans would vote for former President Donald Trump again if he became a felon, prior to the jury finding the former president guilty on all 34 charges brought against him.

"If he is found guilty, let's not underestimate that there is a problem," Rove, a Fox News contributor, said at the time. "Those numbers are like 11% less likely to vote for him. Think about Michigan, where there in the Real Clear Politics average Donald Trump is up by one half of one percent, or Pennsylvania, where he's up by two percent, or Wisconsin, where he's up by three-tenths of one percent."

"In a close race like we're likely to have, having five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven percent of the electorate less likely to vote for you is a problem," he added.

Rove said if Trump was convicted, which ended up being the case Thursday evening, then he would have to find "the right way to sort of say, 'We've settled that, I don't think it was fair, we've got things on appeal, but I'm gonna be focused on the important things that you care about, which is inflation, immigration, state of the world, and the future of our country.'"

"He's gotta be able to rise above this if he is found guilty," Rove added.

A jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to Michael Cohen, who had paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election.

The former president's sentencing hearing on the charges is scheduled for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) reported Thursday that "outrage" over the "sham verdict" against former President Donald Trump resulted in its largest online daily fundraising haul of the cycle.

"The people are energized and determined to take back the White House and Senate!" Jason Thielman, executive director of the NRSC said in a post on X.

Fox News Digital confirmed that the NRSC received $$360,000 yesterday, and that donations tripled after the verdict was announced.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that former President Trump walked away from his New York criminal trial with a big political win even though he is now a convicted felon.

"I think we have to divide the political aspects of this and then what it means for our country. From a political side, you know, this was a big win. I mean, Trump's website last night crashed," Rubio said, referring to the surge of web traffic that flooded the Republican National Committee's WinRed online donation platform after the jury found Trump guilty on all counts.

Rubio suggested that between Judge Juan Merchan donating to Biden, his daughter being a Democratic activist and a jury selected from Manhattan, many Americans believe the trial outcome was motivated by politics, not justice. 

"I think Trump benefits from this. I think they elected a president last night," Rubio asserted. 

"But what does this mean to our country?" he said. "What this means to our country is that we now live in the United States of America that looks like the countries I have visited over the years, and that we have lectured for years about the rule of law, a place where the court is weaponized." 

"Life, Liberty and Levin" host Mark Levin on Friday reacted to the criminal conviction of former President Trump and said the Democratic Party has "completely destroyed our electoral system." 

Levin, a former chief of staff to Attorney General Edwin Meese, said that after Trump's conviction for falsifying business records to cover up an unclear crime, "We don't have the foggiest idea what is legal or illegal anymore in our federal election." 

"We have half the country cheering the fact that the Constitution of the United States was shredded, that you literally had a Stalinist-like show trial," Levin said. "We don't know what the predicate crime is, you've heard it all. We don't know what the elements are. The jury instructions are something out of Kafka. And Joe Biden is perfectly happy with it. We have an autocratic Democratic Party that will do anything to win." 

Levin went on to say that Trump's lawyers should use any avenue possible to get his case before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the high court  has an interest in this state criminal case because Judge Juan Merchan, according to Levin, took "federal jurisdiction over a presidential campaign and federal campaign laws." 

"So is New York, the appellate courts in New York, they're going to decide for the whole damn country what goes on in Minnesota and California and Kansas and Oklahoma?" Levin said. "No!" 

Former Maryland Governor and Republican candidate for senate Larry Hogan faced criticism from fellow Republicans for his comments about former President Donald Trump’s criminal conviction on Thursday. 

"The former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on Thursday after two days of jury deliberations. 

"Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process. At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship," Hogan posted on X. 

"We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law," he said. 

Chris LaCivita, senior advisor to the former president and his campaign, responded to the post saying, " You just ended your campaign." 

Hogan, a moderate former two-term Republican governor, is vying to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin in blue-state Maryland.

Fox News Digital's Brianna Herlihy contributed to this update.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, criticized the prosecution of former President Trump, who was found guilty on felony charges for falsifying business records in a historic New York trial.

"It is fundamental to our American system of justice that the government prosecutes cases because of alleged criminal conduct regardless of who the defendant happens to be. In this case the opposite has happened," Collins said in a statement after the verdict came down. 

"The district attorney, who campaigned on a promise to prosecute Donald Trump, brought these charges precisely because of who the defendant was rather than because of any specified criminal conduct. The political underpinnings of this case further blur the lines between the judicial system and the electoral system, and this verdict likely will be the subject of a protracted appeals process," she said. 

Collins, a moderate Republican, has previously said she will not vote for Trump in the 2024 election. She endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her unsuccessful primary challenge to Trump. Haley is supporting Trump against President Biden.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who is reportedly a top contender to be the Republican nominee for vice president, slammed the "partisan witch hunt in New York" which led to former President Trump's criminal conviction.

Friday morning on "Fox & Friends," Cotton said, "the Democrats rushed this case to trial because they knew it was the only trial that would happen before the election." 

"I think President Trump put it well — the real verdict is going to come on November 5th from the American people, and they're going to base that verdict on runaway inflation and our wide open border that has had 15 million illegals cross it, or the war and chaos that Joe Biden has helped unleash around the world," he continued. "Those are the reasons why Joe Biden and the Democrats rushed this case to trial, because they know President Biden is a weak, failed leader, and they can only hope to win by weaponizing the legal system to engage in election interference against President Trump." 

Mark Penn, a former advisor to former President Clinton, called former President Trump's criminal conviction a "lightning bolt into American politics," but warned President Biden would be smart to keep quiet about it.

Speaking on "Fox & Friends" on Friday morning, Penn said Trump's conviction is more likely to rally the Republican base than it is to unify Democrats ahead of the November election. 

"For the Republican electorate, I think you see a wave of money and support all closing in," Penn said. "Does it make sense to convict someone of 37 felonies over a personal incident that happened in 2006 that was supposed to control the election of 2016? It obviously doesn't make sense." 

Independent voters, Penn reasoned, are likely more concerned about inflation, immigration, crime and other issues and are not energized either way by Trump's criminal conviction. 

"I think the ballot is the place to let the voters decide," said Penn. "Not the jurors, not the criminal justice system. I've always been against criminalization. And in politics, if I were in the Biden camp, I wouldn't say a word about this. I'd let Donald Trump fight the justice system. The more the Biden camp politicizes it, the more it boomerangs." 

Former President Trump’s attorney reacted to the guilty verdict handed down by a Manhattan jury in NY v. Trump on Thursday, saying he believes his client didn’t get a "fair trial."

Todd Blanche told "Jesse Watters Primetime" the trial played out "exactly as we expected." 

"Did your client get a fair trial?" Watters asked. 

"I mean, no, I don't think so. I mean, we've 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," Blanche responded. 

Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony crime. The former president will be back in court on July 11 for a sentencing hearing, days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. 

Blanche predicted one of the first things Trump’s legal team will appeal is Judge Juan Merchan's decision to deny a motion to recuse himself from the case amid allegations of bias and his daughter’s work as a Democratic consultant.

"Our system of justice requires not only that a judge that is actually biased recuse himself, but that a judge that even has the appearance of bias to recuse himself, and our papers are public. We've felt very strongly that there was an actual bias this judge had, and even if not an actual bias, that there was certainly a perception of bias," he said. 

The attorney added that he believes Trump’s constitutional rights were violated "in many ways," largely due to the gag order put on his client. 

Trump reacted to the guilty verdict outside the New York State Supreme Court, saying the trial was "rigged" and "disgraceful." 

"The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people," he told reporters. "We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man, and it’s OK. I’m fighting for our country, I'm fighting for our Constitution."

Fox News Digital's Ashley Carnahan contributed to this update.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., a licensed attorney and member of the New York bar, lambasted former President Trump's criminal conviction Thursday in New York court.

Tenney joined "Fox & Friends First" on Friday to discuss the case and why she believes the prosecution was "calculated" by Democrats.

"This is a disgrace to the New York justice system, a disgrace as a New York lawyer, to watch this complete attempt to find a verdict, not to find justice under our laws," Tenney said, calling the prosecution of Donald Trump "a complete upside down mission" to get a guilty verdict.

"They're doing everything to stop Donald Trump because they know he is leading in the polls," she added. "People are starting to see this, and they are realizing that there can be no justice in our justice system as long as we have prosecutors like Alvin Bragg, who will violate all the procedural rules and substantive rules." 

An MSNBC guest could not contain his excitement Thursday reacting to former President Trump being found guilty on all counts in his New York criminal trial. 

"We’ve been holding our breath as a country for a long time waiting for the cavalry to arrive in the form of the rule of law, and it did arrive today and it’s a majestic day," former U.S. Attorney and frequent MSNBC guest Harry Litman told Nicolle Wallace.

"We are rightly saying the system worked like clockwork and the jury was diligent and attentive and the judge was firm and gentle. All those things are right, but their abilities to do that while hail storms in the form of Trump and his supporters railed on all sides of them was precisely because the judge is cloaked in a robe, which is to say the rule of law … miracle is too strong a word, but really a day for celebration." 

Litman made the comment moments after Trump was found guilty by a jury in New York City on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in a historic and unprecedented criminal trial. Litman said that "Donald Trump is a different person now," telling Wallace, "he's a convict."

"He’s not innocent until presumed guilty," the Los Angeles Times senior legal affairs columnist said. "He is guilty. He will get bail, it’s true, but he’s in a whole different status in society in the legal system in the rule of law…"

Fox News Digital's Yael Halon contributed to this update.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued that the historic conviction of his opponent former President Trump will backfire on Democrats in the 2024 election.

In an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime," RFK Jr. noted that each of Trump's criminal indictments have only made him more popular. 

"I think there's a large number of Americans who are going to see this as the politicization or the weaponization of the enforcement agencies. And I think it's going to hurt it's bad for our democracy," he said. "I think the Democrats feel like they have, the DNC feels like it has a candidate that cannot win fair and square in the polls. And so they have to win in the courts. They have to win by clearing the deck and getting other opponents out of the race." 

RFK Jr. has an axe to grind against the Democratic National Committee. Kennedy initially sought to challenge President Biden in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary, but the DNC said it would not hold primary debates and stood behind the incumbent president.

Now running as an independent, many Democrats fear RFK Jr. will play spoiler in the 2024 election and siphon votes away from Biden, to Trump's benefit.

"I'm not a fan of President Trump's, but I want to win, I want to beat him in a campaign on a level playing field," RFK Jr. said. "I want to talk about his issues, about locking down the economy, shutting down 3.3 million businesses, about running up a $34 trillion debt, about engaging us in forever wars and doing favors for Wall Street. I don't want to beat him in a courtroom."

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took a victory lap after former President Trump was found guilty on 34 counts, saying his office "did our job."

"I did my job. Our job is to follow the facts and the law without fear or favor. And that's exactly what we did here. And what I feel is gratitude to work alongside phenomenal public servants who do that each and every day in matters that you all write about.… I did my job. We did our job. Many voices out there. The only voice that matters is the voice of the jury. And the jury has spoken," Bragg said Thursday evening. 

Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The jury delivered their verdict late Thursday afternoon, finding Trump guilty on each count. 

"The 12 everyday jurors vowed to make a decision based on the evidence and the law, and the evidence and the law alone. Their deliberations led them to a unanimous conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, Donald J. Trump, is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree to conceal a scheme to corrupt the 2016 election," Bragg continued in the press conference, adding that such white collar crimes are at the "core to what we do at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office." 

"While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today at this verdict, in the same manner as every other case that comes to the courtroom doors by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor." 

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton contributed to this update.

Former President Trump headlined a campaign fundraiser just a couple of hours after being found guilty of all 34 felony counts in his New York City criminal trial.

With the verdict in and the trial over, Trump on Thursday evening quickly got back to focusing on his 2024 election rematch with President Biden.

"We’ll be fighting hard," Trump told Fox News' Brooke Singman, adding he was excited to get back on the campaign trail. 

"We are already back to the mission," the Trump campaign told Fox News Digital. "President Trump won’t let this sham stop the movement of this campaign to save the nation."

Minutes after the verdict was read in the first trial of a former or current president in the nation's history, Trump's team put out a fundraising appeal to supporters that declared, "I was just convicted in a RIGGED political Witch Hunt trial." 

WinRed, the GOP online fundraising platform used by Trump's campaign, among others, briefly shut down within an hour of the verdict.

Biden's re-election campaign also quickly sent out fundraising appeals following the verdict.

"Despite a jury finding Donald Trump guilty today, there is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box," the Biden campaign wrote in a fundraising text to supporters. 

And it urged that "if you have been waiting for the perfect time to make your first donation to Joe Biden's reelection campaign, we're here to tell you today is the day."

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this update.

The internet erupted after a New York City jury found former President Trump guilty in his hush money trial on Thursday. 

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, which concluded a six-week trial at the Manhattan court.

The verdict also made Trump the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, although it would not prevent him from running for president. Trump will appeal the decision, but an appellate court could take months or even years to render a decision.

In the meantime, liberals cheered the verdict on social media. 

"The Republican candidate for President is a convicted felon," author Stephen King noted.

Vox correspondent Eric Levitz joked, "If they can do this to Donald Trump, they can do it to *any* American who tries to falsify business records so as to conceal the hush money payments they made to their pornstar ex-mistresses during their presidential campaigns."

"Thank you Alvin Bragg for not being Merrick Garland," former MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan said.

MediasTouch News editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski declared, "Henceforth known in all future mentions as ….Convicted Felon Donald Trump."

On the other side, Trump supporters attacked the decision as either unfair to Trump or an abuse of the justice system with damaging consequences.

"And people say pro wrestling is fixed," former WWE wrestler and Tennessee mayor Glenn Jacobs said.

Actor Michael Rapaport argued, "I’m predicting that Trump will win the election 2024 & just bet money on it."

"They set Trump sentencing for July 11th, four days before the Republican National Convention begins. It’s all so transparently dirty," Outkick founder Clay Travis recounted.

"A travesty and abuse of the legal system that should embarrass everyone who fashioned and supported it," National Review editor Rich Lowry declared.

Babylon Bee editor-in-chief Kyle Mann joked, "Banana republics have politely requested that people stop unfairly comparing them to the United States of America."

"Trump could win in a landslide. This case could be reversed on appeal. But the bell can never be unrung. We're living in a different country now than the one we woke up in this morning," RealClearInvestigations editor-at-large Benjamin Weingarten warned.

Fox News Digital's Lindsay Kornick contributed to this update.

The guilty verdict in former President Trump's historic New York criminal trial blared across newspaper headlines Friday morning with American politics forever changed.

"INJUSTICE," declared the right-leaning New York Post, calling Trump's prosecution in Manhattan a "political hit job." On the opposite side of the political spectrum, the New Yorker's magazine cover is a gleeful cartoon of Trump being put in handcuffs, complete with his tiny hands.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty in the case. The jury found Trump guilty on all counts late Thursday afternoon.

"Trump Convicted," the Wall Street Journal reported. "Verdict Shakes up Presidential Campaign." 

"GUILTY," read the New York Times. "First Ex-President to Become a Felon Plans to Appeal," is the lead article on the paper's front page.

The Washington Post led with, "HISTORIC VERDICT IN SCHEME TO ILLEGALLY INFLUENCE 2016 ELECTION." 

Former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich lambasted members of his own party on Thursday for "coordinated prosecutions" against former President Trump.

In an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime," Blagojevich urged Democrats to vote for the Republican presidential candidate on the heels of his historic guilty verdict.

"My heart is broken for our country because this is serious business, and these Democrats — my fellow Democrats who run the show now — are coordinating these prosecutions against Trump from the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., with assistance from the White House and Biden," Blagojevich said on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

The former Illinois governor, who served from 2003 to 2009, cited his own run-ins with what he criticized as a politicized justice system, particularly for allegations that he attempted to sell Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat after he was elected president in 2008. Convicted on corruption charges and impeached, he began serving his 14-year prison sentence in 2012 until Trump commuted his sentence during his presidency in 2020. 

Blagojevich said he sees what Democrats are doing to Trump and understands what the former president is experiencing. 

"It’s so obvious to me because I lived it myself," he said.

Like Trump who pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges, Blagojevich maintains he did nothing wrong.

"I see this as déjà vu all over again," he said of Trump's conviction. "I didn’t break a single law, cross a line or take a penny. They failed to convict me at a first trial, tried me a second time, used unlawful jury instructions to criminalize things that were legal, and they learned from that, now they are doing it at the major-league level."

"It's a very sad day for America on many levels," he continued. "On a personal level, I’m grateful to President Trump for commuting my sentence. My heart sinks when I think about what he has to go through and his family has to go through."

Fox News Digital's Yael Halon contributed to this update.

Even with his guilty verdict, former President Trump is now free from a "freezing" New York City courtroom after a six-week trial and is ready to hit the campaign trail once again. His campaign is warning President Biden's team to "buckle up." 

Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York v. Trump. 

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the case, said Trump was required to be in court every day for the trial, except Wednesdays when court was not in session. 

The former president railed against the judge and Democrats daily for confining him to the courtroom, repeatedly telling reporters and supporters it was "freezing" and like being stuck in a "freezing cold icebox." 

"Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats confined President Trump to a courtroom for more than eight hours a day for more than six weeks, and he’s still winning," Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. "Now that he is fully back on the campaign trial, Biden and the Democrats better buckle up." 

Leavitt told Fox News Digital Trump "generated billions of dollars in earned media coverage throughout the trial, hosted massive rallies and impromptu campaign stops in New York and beyond, increased his lead over crooked Joe Biden in the polls and raised more money than Biden and the Democrats in the month of April. Not even a witch hunt trial could slow him down. In fact, it only made him stronger." 

Former President Trump was found guilty on all counts in his historic and unprecedented criminal trial, making him the first former president of the United States to be convicted of a crime. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged former President Donald Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

"This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt as a rigged trial and disgrace. It wouldn't give us a venue change," Trump told reporters after exiting the courtroom. "We were at five percent or 6% in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial." 

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. Jurors found the former president guilty.

Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of 4 years. In total, Trump faces a maximum sentence of 136 years. 

Judge Juan Merchan invited the jury into the courtroom to read its verdict after two days of deliberations. 

Sentencing for the former president will be July 11 at 10:00 a.m--just four days before the start of the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to be formally nominated as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. The convention is July 15- 18 in Milwaukee. 

Any motions will need to be filed by June 13th.

The conviction does not bar Trump from running for president. 

Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this update.