the US is in Uncharted political territory tonight after former president Donald Trump was found guilty Thursday of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a New York state hush money case stemming from payments made to silence an adult filmar during the 2016 election jurors took two days to deliberate the verdict makes Trump the first former president in American history to be convicted of a felony crime Trump immediately railed against a court case repeating claims that it was rigged and vowing to appeal he faces the possibility of probation or a prison sentence though legal experts say it's unlikely he'll see the inside of a jail cell the verdict has jolted the upcoming presidential election it doesn't prevent Mr Trump from running or winning the Republican nomination and many political analysts believe it'll likely help him senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan has the reaction and Fallout from New Jersey count three guilty count four protesters outside Court cheered the jury verdict Donald Trump found guilty on all 34 counts in the New York hush money case the first ever felony conviction of a former US president amidst a heavy police presence his Furious supporters vowed Revenge put Trump in jail and he went it's going to make January 6 look like a day at kindergarten bitter arguments over the unprecedented ruling revealed a nation sorely divided and a tumultuous campaign to come in a rambling speech this morning Trump repeated a Litany of accusations promising his legal team will appeal the conviction the public understands and they understand what's what's going on this is a scam this is a rig trial President Biden countered as Reckless it's dangerous it's irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don't like the verdict the justice system should be respected and we should never allow anyone to tear it down after the verdict both the Trump and Biden campaigns launched fundraising efforts and the former president alleged he's raised an astonishing amount from small money donors overnight a record $ 39 million in a about a 10-hour period no think of that he's raised a lot of money from new donors because this that you it's not only galvanizing the base but perhaps galvanizing people who weren't uh decided or didn't have a full interest in him or his campaign yet and now they do they feel this is a reason to get involved Republican strategist Chris Russell thinks this verdict could backfire on Democrats who believed a conviction would damage the Trump campaign that's certainly how New Jersey's Congressional Delegation reacted with Democrat Bill pasel posting despite Trump's best efforts the rule of law is fair and alive in America Democrat Mikey Cheryl agreed no American is above the law including a former president but this former president is different says writers mic rashm he doesn't really have any shame he's not walking away he's not embarrassed he's going to hang in there and so I think that that's really what's changed in politics is the idea that somehow you can survive Scandal now somehow it doesn't make you have to you don't have to disappear from the stage you can write it out and most Republican politicians are sticking with him Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew posted the left has made a joke of our justice system in their political persecution of Donald Trump and first term incumbent Republican Tom kanaine announced he's voting for Trump just hours before the verdict so what we're seeing right now is a bunch of Republicans coming out and basically agreeing with uh Donald Trump that the uh case was rigged that the trial was rigged therefore that says to me that's only going to harden the existing public opinion about this Mammoth poll director Patrick Murray says Jersey will remain blue but a relatively small number of swing state voters determine the outcome in presidential contests he says that's tough for pollsters to accurately sample so if it moves public opinion a little that could actually have a significant impact the problem is is it's going to move it so little that we can't really pick up on it significant ly uh in polling it does again Galvanize Republican based voters to come out which should have a trickle down effect um down ballot meanwhile Republicans will convene their National Convention to formerly anoint Trump as their presidential candidate only 4 days after he scheduled to be sentenced July 11th one former prosecutor predicts a possible home detention for Trump I've seen that in in the cases of older defendants where there's no criminal history there's no danger to the community there's no risk of flight Chris gion doesn't think the judge will send the former president to jail he does see several points Trump's legal team can argue on appeal one example is just the the salacious and intimate details when stormmy Daniels testified um one of the other ones that I I recalled is they were not able to present expert testimony on what did and did not constitute a federal election law violation that appeals process could take months well past November's presidential election the winner will decide whether those appeals continue I'm Brenda Flanagan andj Spotlight news [Music]