Republicans of United States of America rallied behind Donald Trump after the former US President was convicted on felony charges by a New York grand jury on Friday. Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted on felony charges. Trump was facing charges for trying to sway the 2016 presidential election with hush money paid to a porn actor who claimed she had an affair with the former US President.
Despite some divisions in the party, Republicans have rallied around him to criticize the conviction as political. An Indian-American entrepreneur who also happens to be close to Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, criticized the prosecution and the judge, suggesting the trial had been biased. Former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal echoed the same sentiments, saying the Democratic district attorney had manipulated the system of justice.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a sad day in American history and said the charges were based on questionable testimony, saying the whole process was a politically driven attack rather than legal. He also accused the Biden administration of using the justice system to silence people who dissent from the establishment and to punish political opponents.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise called this trial an attempt to interfere with the 2024 election. He likens it to what is happening in "dictatorships" when the opposition is silenced. He accused the Democrats of undermining democracy by using courts to settle political goals. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the trial was the result of a biased legal process with a political agenda, with the district attorney focusing on this case rather than more rampant crime in New York.
Senator Tim Scott said, "Pure injustice, and American voters are way more resilient than that kind of political gamesmanship."
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the trial a political charade, while Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, "It won't stand on appeal.
Senator John Cornyn said, "Republicans must unify behind Trump to win back the White House and the Senate." Senator Ted Cruz labeled the trial as political persecution, adding that the verdict would be overturned on appeal because it was not grounded in law. Congressman Matt Gaetz labeled the trial corrupt and made sure to remind everyone that he would support Trump no matter what.
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