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Former President Donald Trump's historic guilty verdict in a New York court on Thursday on 34 criminal charges quickly sparked reactions across the political spectrum.
The electoral team of his political opponent and Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, said that the New York jury's decision to convict former President Trump shows that no one is above the law.
"Donald Trump always mistakenly thought he would never face consequences for violating the law for personal gain," the Biden-Harris campaign team said in a statement. "But the decision does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There's still one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: the ballot box."
Mr. Trump's campaign team claimed in a statement that he was denied a fair trial in one of the most liberal parts of the country.
"That was embarrassing. This was a trial rigged by a corrupt judge. It is a rigged trial, a disgrace. They did not allow us to change the location. We had 5 or 6 percent support in this area. This was a rigged, shameful trial," declared former President Trump.
The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said in a statement that: "Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ludicrous charges, based on the testimony of a convicted felon who had his license revoked. This was a completely political effort, not a legal one."
Democratic lawmakers said the ruling demonstrated the strength of the American legal system.
"An individual who has been found guilty of 34 criminal charges and shows zero respect for the rule of law is not fit to lead the greatest country in the world," said Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee. . "Only in honest courtrooms has the former president not been able to lie and swear to get out of trouble. There is a reason why Americans trust juries."
The decision marks the first time that a former US president has been found guilty of criminal offences. That ruling, however, does not bar Mr. Trump from running for public office and could be subject to a lengthy appeals process.
Barbara Perry, co-director of the Miller Center for Presidential History at the University of Virginia, told VOA that if he fails on appeal, Mr Trump would mark another historic development for a former US president.
"Let's say that his conviction for criminal offenses will remain in force until November 5, the day of the next presidential elections. If he remains a resident of Florida, a state where felons are not allowed to vote, he will be virtually unable to vote for himself. The other irony of this, besides the fact that it is unprecedented, ... is that he and many other Republicans have tried for years to discourage the exercise of the right to vote."
Former President Trump could also face the possibility of a prison sentence, or could be placed under house arrest, if his guilty verdict is upheld.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham criticized the process that led to the guilty verdict in a statement.
"A little political prosecutor fabricated the charges in one of the most liberal legal headquarters in the country. An unpleasant and biased judge who should have been disqualified ran the trial so that Donald Trump's conviction was certain. A jury formed by representatives of one of the most liberal areas of America," said Senator Graham.
Ms. Perry disputes Republican charges that the trial was a sham.
"Most objective observers would say that this was a very fair judge. But even if they thought the judge was unfair, would they also think all 12 jurors were unfair? Do they think they were all partisans?", she said. "All 12 members of the jury were approved by both sides in this court process and to say that our entire legal process is a sham, I would say that this kind of statement is probably close to treason."
A spokesman for White House legal counsel Ian Sams said: "We respect the rule of law and have no further comment." The White House has not yet responded to VOA's question about whether it has prepared an assessment of increased risks following the decision.
Former President Trump faces three other criminal cases in Florida, Georgia and Washington./ VOA
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