Australia will remain a close ally to the United States regardless of its leader, senior politicians say after second-time presidential hopeful Donald Trump was found guilty over criminal hush money charges.
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The former US president and current Republican nominee was accused of falsifying business records as part of a cover-up to hide payments to a porn star relating to a scheme to bury stories that could have hurt his 2016 election campaign.
Trump on Friday was found guilty of all 34 counts, making it the first time a former US president has been convicted in a criminal case.
Cabinet minister Bill Shorten said it was "not sensible" for the government to comment on a court case in another jurisdiction.
But asked if the verdict would affect Australia-US relations if Trump was re-elected, he assured it would not.
"The American political system will throw up who they've got to throw up," he told the Today Show.
"Governments of both sides in Australia will deal with whoever the American political system elects.
"The alliance is stronger than the personalities."
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton believed the verdict could further galvanise those who support Trump and those who don't.
"There's obviously two tribes here: the one tribe who detest him and hate him ... and the other tribe who love him and adore him," he said.
"All it will do is reinforce the views of both of those camps.
"But obviously it will make for an even more exciting election in November."
Education Minister Jason Clare agreed with Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's statement that the "relationship we have with the US is more important and bigger than any one leader or government".
"The US is our closest ally and irrespective of who the president is or who the prime minister is or which party is in office, the ties that bind our two countries together are strong and everlasting," he told Sunrise.
Leaving the New York courtroom shortly after the verdict, Trump called the result a disgrace.
"I'm a very innocent man," he said.
"I think it's just a disgrace and we'll keep fighting, we'll fight 'til the end and we'll win because our country has gone to hell."
The 77-year-old will be sentenced in July.
Trump will face off against Democrat President Joe Biden in what will be a re-match of the 2020 presidential showdown.
Mr Biden's approval rating has continued to slip.
However the former president must now contend with this verdict alongside three other indictments over the alleged mishandling of government documents, an alleged plot to subvert the transfer of power after his 2020 election loss and charges for an alleged attempt to overturn election results in Georgia.
With AP
Australian Associated Press
