Former US President Donald Trump has been convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his historic criminal trial in New York.
It is the first time a former or serving US president has been convicted of a crime.
He will be sentenced on 11 July – the ex-president could face prison, but legal experts say a fine is the more likely outcome.
Trump calls the verdict a “disgrace” and attacks Judge Merchan, who presided over the case.
The verdict comes as he campaigns to defeat Joe Biden in November’s election and return to the White House
The court heard from 22 witnesses over six weeks, including Stormy Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with Trump was at the centre of this case.
Trump stood accused of concealing a payment made by his former lawyer to buy the ex-adult film star’s silence shortly before the 2016 election.
The 12 jurors deliberated for two days before reaching a unanimous verdict.
Prosecutors accused Trump of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included concealing a hush money payment to an adult film star.
Key witness reacts
Key witness Michael Cohen has reacted to Trump’s verdict in a statement.
Cohen said “today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law.”
“While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters. I want to thank my attorneys Danya Perry and Joshua Kolb for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this process,” he said.
Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, was the Manhattan district attorney’s key witness in the hush money trial.
Danya Perry, Cohen’s attorney, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that her client “has mixed feelings.”
“He definitely wanted to see accountability for his former boss and mentor, and someone who meant so much to him for so long,” Perry said. “But for those same reasons, his emotions are tinged with sadness as well.”
Still run for President?
A felony conviction of a former president or party frontrunner is unprecedented, but Trump can still run for office.
The former president called the jury’s decision a “disgrace” and said the “real verdict” will come during the presidential election on 5 November.
President Joe Biden said on social media his 2024 rival can only be defeated at the ballot box.
Full protection
The US Secret Service has said says Trump’s guilty verdict has no bearing on its protective mission.
The guilty verdict has “no bearing on the manner in which the United States Secret Service carries out its protective mission,” the agency said in a statement on Thursday.
“Our security measures will proceed unchanged,” chief communications for the Secret Service, Anthony Guglielmi said.
The Secret Service is authorised to protect former presidents “during their lifetime, unless they decline protection” according to their official website.
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