The verdict: Inside the courtroom as Donald Trump learned he had been convicted

NEW YORK (AP) — History happened just as everyone was about to leave for the day.

Judge Juan M. Merchan had already summoned Donald Trump, his legal team and prosecutors into the courtroom where the former president has been on trial since mid-April. The judge said he planned to send the jury home in a few minutes — at 4:30 p.m. — with deliberations to resume the next morning.

Trump looked upbeat, having animated chats with his lawyers. A bell that rang in the courtroom whenever the jury had something to tell the court had been silent all day.

In the end, it wasn’t the bell that signaled something was up, but the jingling of a court officer’s keys — a ring full of them clanking as Maj. Michael McKee hustled past the judge’s bench and out a door into a private corridor.

Then, unexpectedly, the judge was back on the bench. There was another note from the jury. Signed at 4:20 p.m., it said they had reached a verdict. Jurors wanted an extra 30 minutes to fill out the verdict form.

The “hurry up and wait” beat of deliberations gave way to anticipatory tension.

“I’m sure you will hear from the sergeant and the major and everyone else, but please let there be no outbursts of any kind when we take a verdict,” Merchan warned everyone in the courtroom. “I’ll be back out in a few minutes.”

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline