It didn’t take long after a jury found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts in his secret trial in New York for Republicans to quickly join in defending their presumptive presidential nominee.
President Mike Johnson, second to the presidency and the top Republican on Capitol Hill, called it a “shameful day in American history.”
“This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one,” Johnson said.
MORE: Donald Trump calls secret trial ‘rigged’ after being found guilty on all counts
The House leader, who also traveled to Manhattan to show support for Trump at the courthouse earlier this month, later tried to characterize the proceedings as biased – echoing claims made by the former president himself that the justice system had been politically used as a weapon against him. .
“The American people see this as a war of rights, and they know it is wrong – and dangerous,” Johnson said. “President Trump will legitimately appeal this absurd verdict – and he WILL WIN!”
Many congressional Republicans have offered a similar response.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking Republican in the House, also said the trial’s outcome was a sign of a “corrupt and rigged” justice system.
“I fully support President Trump in appealing this decision and look forward to the New York Court of Appeals providing justice and overturning this verdict,” she said.
Stefanik made unfounded claims that the case was “submitted by Joe Biden’s allies in a desperate attempt to save Biden’s failed campaign and that the verdict was based on the testimony of a convicted felon who was expunged of the bar for lying”.
Among the first reactions was a statement from Rep. Jim Jordan, one of Trump’s staunchest allies in Washington and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who called it a “travesty of justice.”
Jordan also argued that Trump was subjected to a “kangaroo court” and that the process was deliberately designed to keep him out of the 2024 election campaign – although Trump has held several rallies and campaign stops in during the six-week trial and frequently sent fundraising emails outside the country. its developments.
MORE: How Trump’s guilty verdict will impact the 2024 presidential election
Meanwhile, Democrats claimed that Trump had his day in court, like all the other defendants.
“Everyone has the right to due process, and Donald Trump got his. This guilty verdict and the numerous criminal cases pending against Trump make it clear to the world: In America, no one is above the law,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland.
“In America, no one is above the law: not the rich, not the powerful, and certainly not former presidents,” California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu said in a statement.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, congratulated the jurors and urged “all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, to accept and respect the outcome of this trial.”
“Shameful”: Republicans quickly defend Trump after his conviction originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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