“I’m a very innocent man,” said Donald Trump moments after a jury of his peers unanimously pronounced him guilty on all counts. There, in a nutshell, is the reality facing America. One of its two main White House contenders is a felon whose campaign is based on claiming the system is rigged.
The Republican party’s nominee now joins his former campaign manager, senior political adviser, chief White House strategist, and national security adviser as a convicted criminal. The jury’s speed and unanimity leave little doubt about the watertightness of the verdict. No matter what his lawyers advise, Trump’s court of appeal will be the US electorate.
To say that American society is a hung jury would be an understatement. Within minutes of the verdict, senior Republicans rushed to condemn the trial as a politically motivated sham and a travesty of justice. Democrats were commensurately jubilant that justice had been served and that no man is above the law.