Donald Trump has claimed he "had to be held back" from taking the stand in his hush money trial after admitting he "would have loved to have testified."
The former president was found guilty by a jury of a dozen New Yorkers on all counts of falsifying business records, a felony punishable by either incarceration, probation, or a fine. As the foreman read the verdict, Trump shook his head slightly but didn’t vent his frustration until he left the courtroom. Trump has vowed to appeal.
After more than nine hours of deliberations over two days, the Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in the case stemming from a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump angrily denounced the trial as a “disgrace,” telling reporters he’s an “innocent man.”
READ MORE: Donald Trump admits hush money trial was 'not easy' for Melania in Dr Phil interview
And now in an interview with Dr Phil, the former president, who didn't testify, admits he wanted to give evidence in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial. "I would have loved to have testified. I wanted to. I'm telling you: they had to hold me back," he said.
His interview comes as Trump's team accused the judge of bias, citing his daughter’s work heading a firm whose clients have included Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other Democrats. The judge refused the defence’s request to remove himself from the case, saying he was certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial.”
The verdict shows the jury wasn’t persuaded by Trump’s defence, which hinged on assailing the credibility of some key witnesses — especially Michael Cohen, the Trump attorney-turned-adversary who directly implicated Trump in the hush money scheme. As in many criminal cases, Trump’s lawyers tried to make a lot of their points while questioning prosecution witnesses.
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US .
The defence called just two witnesses of its own, including Robert Costello, a defence lawyer who had sought to represent Cohen after the latter came under federal investigation due to his work for Trump. Judge Juan M. Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before Republicans are formally set to nominate Trump for president.
The charge of falsifying business records is a Class E felony in New York, the lowest tier of felony charges in the state. It is punishable by up to four years in prison, though the punishment would ultimately be up to the judge, and there’s no guarantee he would give Trump time behind bars. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg declined to say whether prosecutors would seek prison time.
After Trump is sentenced, he can challenge his conviction in a New York appellate court and possibly the state’s highest court. Trump’s lawyers have already been laying the groundwork for appeals with objections to the charges and rulings at trial.