Well, this is one for the history books. Donald Trump has managed to turn a 34-felony conviction into basically a legal participation trophy, just weeks before his presidential comeback.
Let’s rewind a bit. On May 30, 2024, Trump became the first former US president to be found guilty of criminal charges. A Manhattan jury convicted him on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
This payment, made in the final days of the 2016 campaign, was allegedly to keep Daniels quiet about a supposed 2006 encounter — which Trump still denies ever happened.
Cut to Friday: Justice Juan Merchanhanded down an “unconditional discharge” to Trump, which is fancy legal speak for ‘you’re guilty, but we’re not gonna do anything about it’. Trump, appearing via video link, was surprisingly less than thrilled with the …