America's rule of law upheld in unanimous guilty verdict of Donald Trump

A jury of 12 in a Manhattan courtroom accomplished what others have tried: holding Donald Trump accountable. The accountability came in the form of an unanimous verdict of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal an alleged "hush money" payment to an adult film actress. These were felonies that influenced the 2016 presidential election, possibly changing its outcome.

Defendant Donald Trump is now a "convicted felon." He becomes the first former president and presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee to earn that historic but ignoble label. He now has a criminal record, a damning complication for any candidate seeking political office, much less the presidency of the United States.

"This is a disgrace, a rigged trial by a conflicted judge," he said after leaving the courtroom, absent a hint of remorse for anything except the circumstances in which he finds himself.

"Why should Americans vote for a convicted felon?" a reporter asked. Trump, walking away, had no answer.

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One can only hope his utter lack of contrition figures into his sentencing. But until then "The People v Donald Trump" will continue as the case and the historic verdict shifts from the court of law to the court of public opinion.

On Friday, Trump went before the public in what can be best described as a rambling diatribe. In his remarks, a litany of denial, he castigated the case, President Joe Biden, the judge, the prosecution and the media, veering from outright anger to the downright nonsensical. At the end he again took no questions.

Worse, his minions in the Republican Party continue to parrot Trump's grievances, apparently still putting the party's quest for power over the good of the country.

“This is a quintessential show trial. This is what you see in communist countries," U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said on Thursday. "This is what I grew up having people in the community tell me about. It happened in the days after the Castro revolution. Obviously, those led to executions. This, on the other hand, is an effort to interfere in an election."

The hush money trial stood amid much weightier cases taking shape in courts in Fort Pierce, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Disguising campaign contributions to cover up payments to porn star Stormy Daniels always seemed to pale in comparison to allegations of stealing classified documents, squeezing an election official to come up with thousands of votes for him, or orchestrating an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the peaceable transfer of power following the 2020 election. In this least likely of cases, however, justice has been served.

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The credit goes to a determined judge who oversaw a fair trial, and to 12 ordinary citizens doing the civic duty that has been a foundational part of this country — who after being called to serve and vetted by both the defense and prosecution, considered the evidence to reach a valid verdict.

Trump was presumed innocent, had his day in court and found guilty. His sentencing will come on July 11, only days before the Republican National Convention.

Trump will likely appeal, and there will be those, mostly political acolytes who have curried favor with him, who will try to discredit the process, hoping to damage the reputations of the judge, jury and the legal system itself to save their party's presidential prospects.

Let them. They may try to disparage the trial but the result speaks for itself.

The rule of law prevailed.