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Fact-checking Donald Trump's speech following his guilty conviction

A New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former President Trump spoke to reporters in New York on Friday, a day after a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through an alleged hush money scheme. 

Trump spent much of Friday's news conference blasting the judge, verdict, and trial that saw him convicted on 34 felony counts.

Let's take a closer look at some of the major claims he made and verify if they’re true, false, or need additional context.

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CLAIM

Trump stated that the New York prosecutors who charged him in the trial were not allowed to look into alleged federal campaign finance violations.

ANSWER

This needs context.

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This needs context.

WHAT WE FOUND

Manhattan prosecutors aren’t allowed to charge him with federal violations, but they listed the alleged campaign finance violations as one of three "unlawful acts" that jurors were asked to consider.

To convict Trump, jurors had to find that not only did he falsify business records, but that he also did so to commit or conceal another crime.

CLAIM

Trump said he’s going to jail for 187 years.

ANSWER

That’s another statement that needs context.

   

This needs context.

WHAT WE FOUND

The crime he was convicted of is punishable by a fine, probation, or up to four years in prison per count. But Trump is a first-time, nonviolent offender. So it’s unlikely that he will face a long sentence, or go to jail at all.

WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make a difference in the Carolinas by making sure the community has the correct information. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.  

 

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