In news dated May 31, 2024, the jury in the “Hush Money Case” reached a guilty verdict against Donald Trump just hours after the ruling. In a rare move, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell came out to defend him. He stated that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should not have brought the lawsuit and predicted that the verdict would be overturned.
McConnell took to social platform X and wrote, “These charges should never have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal.”
Last April, when Trump pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony charges brought by Alvin Bragg, the Senate Republican leader remained silent.
For months, McConnell had refused to discuss the criminal case involving Trump. However, he has now made a public statement, indicating that the verdict may further unify Republicans, even prompting some of Trump’s biggest critics within the party to come to his defense.
Media analysis suggests a crucial difference between now and then is that a year earlier, many Republicans still held hope for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or other Republicans to secure the presidential nomination.
However, Trump easily defeated numerous opponents in this year’s primaries and is expected to officially become the Republican nominee.
During the impeachment proceedings following the events of January 6, 2021, Republican Senator Susan Collins, who previously voted “guilty,” criticized Bragg for what she deemed a politically motivated prosecution.
In a statement Thursday evening, she said, “It is crucial for the American justice system that prosecutions are based solely on the alleged criminal conduct, regardless of the defendant’s identity. However, in this case, the opposite appears to be true.”
“The district attorney campaigned on promising to prosecute Trump, making these charges not about the specific criminal behavior but rather about who the defendant is,” she added.
She further stated, “The political foundation of this case further blurs the line between justice and elections.”
Apart from Republicans previously at odds with Trump, other GOP members with less close ties to Trump have also come forward to defend him.
Senate Republican Whip John Thune remarked, “I was on a flight but as soon as I landed, I saw the news. This case was politically motivated from the outset, and today’s verdict does nothing to dispel the partisan nature of this prosecution.”
Previously, Trump had attempted to court a conservative challenger in hopes of unseating Thune in 2022, but those efforts ultimately failed.
However, following the verdict on Thursday, Thune appears to have put past grievances aside.
“Regardless of the outcome, more and more Americans realize that we cannot endure another four years of Biden,” Thune said. “It was only with President Trump in the White House and Republicans holding the majority in the Senate that we were able to halt the disastrous agenda imposed on American families and businesses by Biden and Schumer.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also responded to McConnell’s criticism of the prosecution shortly after.
“No one is above the law. The verdict speaks for itself,” Schumer said in a brief statement.
After the Manhattan jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts, Trump’s presidential campaign rival Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also spoke out in support of Trump.
Despite recent escalations in Trump’s criticisms of Kennedy, nationwide polls show that this independent presidential candidate has garnered support from some conservatives and independents, potentially weakening Trump’s advantage.
However, following the verdict, Kennedy harshly criticized the ruling, accusing Democrats of trying to defeat Trump in court rather than at the ballot box.
“This will backfire come November elections. What’s worse, it’s undemocratic,” Kennedy wrote on X. “America should have a president who wins through voting, not one who undermines our system of checks and balances or weaponizes the courts. You can’t claim to save democracy by first destroying it,” he added.
Earlier this year, Kennedy condemned actions to exclude Trump from the ballot based on the 14th Amendment.
At the time, he wrote, “Why doesn’t every American understand that if they can do this to a former U.S. president, everyone is susceptible to punishment for alleged crimes they were never convicted of.”
In another post, he wrote, “If Trump’s supporters never accept victory being achieved in a fair election, and he’s defeated through judicial means, this country will become ungovernable.”
“I’m not a fan of Trump, but I want the American people to decide who represents them. I want to win in fair competition, not to remove someone disliked through judicial interference,” he said.
Since the start of his campaign, Kennedy has consistently refused to discuss Trump’s legal cases, social media behavior, and personality, which are commonly used by critics to condemn Trump.