May 29, 2024 5:35 PM
Fact check: Trump falsely claims judges did not require unanimous verdict
Daniel Dale and Jeremy Herb of CNN
Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed Wednesday that Judge Juan Marchan “did not seek a unanimous verdict on the bogus charges against me.”
Trump made the allegations in a social media post, calling Marchan’s position “absurd, unconstitutional and un-American.” He was repeating an argument that had been circulating among conservatives since Fox News host John Roberts posted on social media earlier in the day that “Judge Marchan told the jury they did not need unanimity to convict.”
Facts First: Trump’s claim misrepresents what Marchan said.
Prosecutors presented three theories about the illegal means Trump used. Marchan told the jury: “We must unanimously conclude that the defendants conspired to further or obstruct election to public office through unlawful means, but we need not unanimously conclude as to what those unlawful means were. In determining whether the defendants conspired to further or obstruct election to public office through unlawful means, we may consider: (1) violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA); (2) other falsification of business records; and (3) tax violations.”
