It has not even been 24 hours since former US President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and US Republican politicians have reacted with one accord, slamming the trial as a politically motivated sham while calling into question the impartiality of Judge Juan Merchan and the New York jury.
After jurors handed down their guilty verdict, Trump told reporters outside the courtroom:
This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. … They wouldn’t give us a venue change. We were at 5 percent or 6 percent in this district, in this area. … The real verdict is gonna be November 5th by the people, and they know what happened here, and everyone knows what happened here. You have a Soros-backed DA and a whole thing, we didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man, and it’s ok. I’m fighting for our country; I’m fighting for our constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now. This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent. And I think it’s just a disgrace, and we’ll keep fighting; we’ll fight to the end, and we’ll win[.]
Republican politicians spoke in the same vein, with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson echoing the claim that the trial was politically motivated: “President Trump has never stopped fighting for the American people – even as he has faced the wrath of a weaponized justice system and a political witch hunt sham trial.”
Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Lindsey Graham added:
The outcome of this case should surprise no one.
➡️A political hack prosecutor manufactured charges in one of the most liberal legal venues in the country.
➡️An obnoxious and biased judge who should have been disqualified conducted a trial in a way to ensure Donald Trump’s…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) May 30, 2024
Graham’s Senate colleague Ted Cruz agreed, labeling the proceedings “A travesty of justice. An absolute sham trial designed with one purpose: to label Donald Trump as a convicted felon. This was not law, this was not criminal justice, this was all politics. I’m here to tell you right now this will be reversed on appeal.”
Erstwhile Trump opponent Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted, in part:
It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law. If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict.
In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene even posted an image of an upside-down US flag on X (formerly Twitter), implying that the country is in distress:
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 30, 2024
Trump has been subjected to three gag orders in the past year, including one in his hush money trial, another in his civil fraud trial, and a third in his federal election interference case. The gag order in this trial prevented Trump from making disparaging statements about prosecutors (other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg), witnesses, or jurors. That order was upheld on appeal in order to protect the integrity of the proceedings.
As Trump’s legal woes make their way through the courts, threats against justices and court staff have increased. The American Bar Association noted that threats against judges have doubled since 2019. The US Marshall Service director told Congress that serious threats against judges jumped from 224 in fiscal year 2021 to 457 in fiscal year 2023 due to the use of social media and political polarization.
Judge Arthur Engoron, who oversaw Trump’s civil fraud trial, even received a bomb threat at his home in January among other threatening messages directed towards him and his staff. Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court also became targets of threats after a majority ordered Trump removed from that state’s presidential ballot, a decision that was later reversed by the US Supreme Court.
Confidence in the US judiciary has decreased sharply in recent years as political polarization continues to widen. This month, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito prompted controversy when it was revealed that an upside-down American flag and a flag associated with the January 6 Capitol Attack were flown at his residence. Chief Justice John Roberts Thursday rebuffed a request from Senate Democrats to discuss the display, citing the separation of powers.
