Some Trump Critics Defend Former President After Guilty Verdict

Republican critics of former President Donald Trump have come to his defense after the GOP candidate was pronounced guilty in his New York trial.

On May 30, a jury found President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records. Post verdict, multiple Trump critics slammed the judgment.

“These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a May 31 X post, suggesting a renewed backing by GOP critics of President Trump following the trial.

Mr. McConnell had earlier held President Trump responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, even suggesting that the former president could face criminal or civil charges. However, he stopped short of voting to convict President Trump in the Senate during his impeachment.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) claimed the case was “politically motivated from the beginning, and today’s verdict does nothing to absolve the partisan nature of this prosecution.” Irrespective of the outcome, more Americans are “realizing that we cannot survive four more years of Joe Biden,” he said.

Mr. Thune had backed away from President Trump’s attempt to challenge the results of the 2020 election, warning fellow lawmakers that such a move could be politically perilous. He had also opposed President Trump’s proposal to pardon Jan. 6 defendants.

Prior to backing President Trump for the 2024 presidential election, Mr. Thune had endorsed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) as the Republican nominee. After Mr. Scott dropped out of the race and President Trump secured a primary win in South Carolina, Mr. Thune endorsed the former president.

President Trump called the verdict a “disgrace,” alleging the entire case was a “witch hunt” carried out at the behest of the White House.

“The real verdict is going to be on November 5 by the people,” he said. “This was a rigged decision from day one.”

The former president, who did not make reference to the jury, also told reporters that he “didn’t do a thing wrong, I am a very innocent man.” He added, “We’ll keep fighting. We’ll fight to the end, and we’ll win.”

Trump Verdict

In the New York trial, President Trump faced 34 counts for allegedly falsifying business records to divert funds to former lawyer Michael Cohen.

The funds were supposedly used to pay adult performer Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, to ensure she did not reveal an alleged affair with President Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Prosecutors claimed that the former president fraudulently misclassified the payments to ensure that Ms. Daniels’ claims did not interfere with the 2016 election. President Trump has denied having an affair with the actress.

Once the jury was tasked to deliberate on the issue, it took less than 12 hours to return a guilty verdict. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention when President Trump is expected to be formally designated as the party’s presidential nominee.

President Trump is not barred from running for the White House even as a convicted felon. However, he faces the prospect of jail time, fines, or probation if the appeal is unsuccessful.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) had earlier submitted a complaint to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, claiming a conflict of interest involving Justice Merchan. His daughter allegedly has worked on behalf of Democrat politicians. In addition, Justice Merchan has made donations to President Biden, she said.

Legal scholar Alan Dershowitz argued in his podcast that the entire case was illegitimate as it does not clarify the exact crime committed in the case.

“If the charge is not legit, you must acquit. If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit. But in this case, the charges are simply not legit. And if the charges are not legit, a jury must acquit. And if the jury doesn’t acquit, then the judge must acquit. And if the judge doesn’t acquit, then the court of appeals or the appellate courts have to acquit,” he said.

“But there’s no way there should be a conviction in this case based on the illegitimacy of the charges in this case. The case is now over. I still can’t figure out what the crime is.”

In a statement on social media, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the verdict an “outright assault” not only on President Trump but on every American believing in the rule of law.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.