Shortly after a jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts in his New York hush money trial, Republicans wasted no time in coming to his defense as their presumptive presidential nominee.
Mike Johnson, who is second in line to the presidency and the highest-ranking Republican on Capitol Hill, described it as a “shameful day in American history.” “Johnson claimed that this was purely a political exercise, not a legal one.”
The House leader, who also went to Manhattan to support Trump at the courthouse earlier this month, tried to portray the proceeding as biased. He repeated baseless claims from the former president that the justice system has been politically used against him.
“The American people view this as a misuse of the legal system, and they understand that it is both incorrect and risky,” Johnson said. “President Trump will appeal this verdict, which he believes is absurd, and he is confident that he will win.”
Many Republicans in Congress said the same thing. Elise Stefanik, a representative from New York and the third-ranking Republican in the House, also stated without evidence that the trial result indicates a “corrupt and rigged” justice system.
“I completely agree with President Trump’s decision to appeal this ruling. I am hopeful that the New York Court of Appeals will provide justice by overturning this verdict,” she said.
Stefanik made a claim, but did not provide any evidence to support it. She said that the case was brought by people who support Joe Biden, who are trying to help his failing campaign. She also said that the outcome of the case depended on the testimony of a person who has been convicted of a crime and was banned from practicing law because they lied.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell released a short statement about X regarding the conviction of former President Trump. In his statement, McConnell expressed his belief that the charges against Trump should not have been brought.
“McConnell said in the post that these charges should never have been brought in the first place.” “I think that the conviction will be reversed after going through the appeal process.”
One of the first people in Congress to respond was Rep. Jim Jordan, who is a strong supporter of Trump and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He described the trial and verdict as a “travesty of justice.”
Jordan claimed that Trump was unfairly treated in a biased court process, which was intentionally designed to prevent him from running for president in 2024. However, it is worth noting that Trump still held multiple rallies and campaign events during the six-week trial and often sent fundraising emails related to the trial.
Democrats argued that Trump had the same opportunity as any other defendant to have his day in court.
“Everyone has the right to fair treatment under the law, and Donald Trump received his.” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, stated that the guilty verdict and the numerous ongoing criminal cases against Trump demonstrate that in the United States, everyone is subject to the law.
“No one in America is exempt from the law, including the wealthy, the influential, and even former presidents,” stated Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California.
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, praised the jurors and encouraged all Americans, regardless of their political party, to accept and respect the result of this trial.
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