Bragg declines to say whether prosecutors will seek jail time for Trump

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) at a Thursday press conference declined to say whether prosecutors will seek jail time for former President Trump after he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal an affair.

Asked about seeking jail time for Trump, Bragg said prosecutors would speak through their court filings in the coming weeks.

“The only voice that matters is the voice of the jury. And the jury has spoken,” Bragg said.

When asked how he felt now that a verdict has been reached, he said, “I did my job.”

“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, in doing so, without fear or favor,” Bragg said. 

The district attorney was joined by the full trial team from the Manhattan office, who spent the last several weeks persuading jurors that the former president was responsible for the falsified business records. 

Most remained stoic, but prosecutor Becky Mangold appeared to be brimming with pride. Bragg’s paralegals — two of whom testified in the trial — also stood by his side during the press conference. 

The room where Bragg held his press conference was not nearly as full as the courtroom where, an hour earlier, Trump was convicted. Reporters huddled around the podium where the district attorney made his remarks.

Bragg had entered the building just moments earlier after coming from the courthouse across the street. He and the trial team gathered in the hallway outside for a few moments, where they smiled and briefly chatted about the verdict before heading inside.

“The 12 everyday jurors vowed to make a decision based on the evidence and the law and the evidence and the law alone,” Bragg said.

“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.” 

Trump became the first former president to be convicted of a felony. The former president has frequently attacked Bragg since being indicted on the charges more than a year ago, saying that the local prosecutor was politically motivated in bringing the case. 

The charges stemmed from a reimbursement made to Trump’s ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, for a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump that he denies. 

The former president criticized both Bragg and Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, in comments shortly after the verdict was read Thursday, saying, “We didn’t do a thing wrong.” 

“I’m a very innocent man, and it’s OK,” he said. “I’m fighting for our country; I’m fighting for our Constitution. 

“This was a rigged decision right from day one with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case. Never,” Trump continued. “And we will fight for our Constitution. This is long from over. Thank you very much.”