Donald Trump, U.S. President-elect, reacted strongly after receiving an unconditional discharge in the hush money case, calling the legal proceedings a “despicable charade” and accusing Democrats of orchestrating a “witch-hunt.” Trump was convicted on charges related to payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election campaign but secured an unconditional discharge from the court.

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• Trump was granted an unconditional discharge after being convicted of falsifying business records for hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
• He condemned the event as a “despicable charade” and vowed to appeal, calling the case a “hoax” without merit.
• Trump accused “Radical Democrats” of conducting a “witch hunt” and emphasized that the case had no crime, evidence, or legal foundation.
• In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that legal scholars agreed there was never a case, and the entire matter should be dismissed.
• He claimed the American people were the “real jury” and pointed to his re-election as proof of their trust in his leadership.
• Trump criticized the judge and the star witness, labeling the latter as a “disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer.”
• Judge Juan Merchan noted that Trump’s presidential win did not lessen the seriousness of the crime, even though it had to be taken into account.
• Despite presidential protections, Merchan made clear that the court cannot erase a jury verdict based on those protections.
• Trump was convicted in May for 34 counts of falsifying records to cover up the hush money payment during the 2016 election.
• While facing other federal and state charges, many of Trump’s cases, including those regarding the 2020 election, remain unresolved as he prepares for his second term.