Donald Trump is a convicted felon

The case concerned Mr Trump’s campaign in 2016, back when his presidential bid seemed to many like a chaotic lark. Before the election his then lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid a porn star to keep her story of sex with the candidate out of the press. Mr Trump approved the hush-money deal and mislabelled his reimbursement to Mr Cohen as legal fees in his company’s books. Since Mr Cohen was repaid in monthly instalments, Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s district attorney, brought 34 counts stemming from those falsely marked payments. Some related to ledger entries, some to cheques and others to invoices. Without a doubt Mr Trump will appeal against the conviction. “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges,” he groused before it came.