"Being convicted of a felony — let alone 34 of them – is the kind of blow that would normally tank any politician's ambitions," the AP reports.
"Donald Trump will instead try to turn what might otherwise be a career-ending judgment into campaign fuel."
"Trump will return to the campaign trail with a news conference at his namesake tower in Manhattan on Friday, a day after he was convicted of trying to illegally influence the 2016 election by falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to a porn actor who claimed they had sex. His lawyers and allies described him as defiant and ready to fight a verdict they argue is illegitimate and driven by politics."
Conventional wisdom held that the "hush money" case was the weakest of the criminal cases brought against Donald Trump.
Trump's supporters argued that the charges would never have been brought against anyone else, that lead witness Michael Cohen was a liar and that the charges were so vague no one really knew what crimes Trump was being charged with.
And, of course, that the trial was "rigged" by Democrats.
In the end, Trump was found guilty of falsifying 34 business records to deliberately conceal a "hush money" payment made to a porn star in order to keep her quiet during the 2016 presidential campaign. By hiding those payments Trump also committed other crimes, such as violating campaign finance laws.
A jury of Trump's peers heard the facts of the case and unanimously found he had committed those crimes.
This morning, Republican politicians are predictably rallying to Trump's defense.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called the verdict "shameful" and that the trial was political "lawfare." Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — no friend of Trump — said the charges should never have been brought.
So my questions for those who dispute the Trump verdict: Which of these crimes do you think didn't happen? And if you admit they did happen, then why do you think they should they be legal?
If you're going to criticize the verdict, it only seems fair you should have to defend your answers to these questions.
Not doing so — particularly if you're an elected official — undermines the rule of law in this country.
David Corn: "Donald Trump has been in a war with accountability his entire adult life, and accountability has usually lost. In a New York City courtroom on Thursday, accountability triumphed, when a jury of his fellow citizens found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up his hush-money/election-interference payment to porn star Stormy Daniels."
"This historic case—the first criminal trial of a former president and of a major party presidential nominee—showed that the legal system could handle the prosecution of a person of such high status, wealth, and influence and that Trump's long run as an escape artist has (pending an appeal) come to an end."
David Remnick: "Following the devastating judgment against Trump in Manhattan Criminal Court, voters will now decide to what extent they care."
"To return an unstable and malevolent authoritarian to the White House risks wounding American democracy in ways that would likely take decades to repair. That is not the only issue on the ballot, but those are the stakes."
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) blasted Donald Trump's conviction in his New York hush money case, predicting Trump will successfully appeal the "absurd" verdict, The Hill reports. Said Johnson: "Today is a shameful day in American history." He added: "The American people rightfully see this is lawfare, and they know it is — and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict — and he WILL WIN."
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called for the Supreme Court to "step in" to overturn the guilty verdict against Donald Trump in his "hush money" criminal trial, Axios reports. Said Johnson: "I think that the Justices on the court – I know many of them personally – I think they are deeply concerned about that, as we are. So I think they'll set this straight." The Supreme Court does not step in any where. Trump will have to appeal his conviction to the highest court in New York, and then if he loses there, which he will, he can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"A profound sense of rage — and an insatiable thirst for revenge — is permeating virtually every corner of the Republican Party in the wake of former President Trump's historic conviction," Axios reports.
"No one knows how the verdict will affect the outcome of the election. But the immediate impact is undeniable: America's political fabric has been fundamentally altered."
Said Texas attorney general Ken Paxton (R): "This is a battle of good versus evil."
Said Tucker Carlson: "This won't stop Trump. He'll win the election if he's not killed first. But it does mark the end of the fairest justice system in the world. Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family."
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has steadfastly refused to comment about the presidential race or his long-running feud with Donald Trump, came to Trump's defense Thursday night, The Hill reports.
Said McConnell: "These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal."
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) told Newsmax says he's going to push for Donald Trump to "aggressively go after" Joe Biden and his entire family after Trump wins in November.
After former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) called on Americans to "respect the verdict" in Donald Trump's criminal trial, Trump strategist Chris LaCivta tweeted: "You just ended your campaign."
Punchbowl News: "You're either all in for Trump or you're against him. His camp is watching everything every Republican says very closely and is ready to pounce on any sign of perceived weakness or disloyalty."
"There's no middle ground for Republicans on Trump. There never has been and there never will be. This is the 'Ride or Die' campaign for president."
Josh Marshall: "I would not for a moment take this blitzkrieg of rage from Trump influencers and stakeholders at face value. I suspect that after a bit of wobbling, by and large, Trump supporters will decide that Trump is more reliable and important than the justice system. But I'm not certain of that and neither are Turmp's mouthpieces. You can tell that by the intensity of their screaming. This isn't some peristaltic outpouring of rage and anger. It's whipping. It's an overwhelming effort to match and muffle the earthquake of what happened yesterday afternoon with enough noise and choreography to keep everyone in Trump's campaign and on the margins of it in line and on side.
They'll probably, at least mostly, manage that. But they have no idea what most voters or even most of their own voters think of this. The intensity of the screaming is directly proportional to the intensity of fear and danger they feel over what happened. To imagine otherwise is to fall for yet another Trump con.
[..] There's one additional point to note here. Dictators can't brook any opposition. Because the nature of dictatorial control is its pervasiveness and uniformity. There's no point or logic to declaring your opposition, because everyone would be against you. Once that ceases to be the case, once potential opponents or dissenters are not totally alone, the dictator's power can become unstable and break down quickly, unpredictably.
Trump is no dictator today. But he's certainly the dictator of his political movement or party. So similar dynamics apply. We saw that with Hogan. Trump can't really afford to crap on Hogan. Hogan may be in the Senate majority. He's also running in what is, in swing-state partisan terms, a Democratic backwater. But the virulent attack on him was immediate and total. That signals an accurate fear of the brittleness of Trump's power in the face of this kind of assault. So it has to be shot down resolutely, immediately and totally. What we're seeing isn't a ferocious backlash, as most of the press is claiming. It's a quite concerted effort to make sure no one steps out of line. It's an effort to avoid the far greater risk that a pall of demoralization settles over some of Trump's least committed, fairweather voters and on-the-fence possibles. In a close race those can make the difference.
David Frum: "Donald Trump will not be held accountable before the 2024 presidential election for his violent attempt to overturn the previous election, but he is now a convicted felon all the same."
President Biden weighed in on Donald Trump's guilty verdict in his "hush money" trial, calling Trump's contention that the trial was "rigged" is "irresponsible" and "reckless," The Hill reports.
Said Biden: "The justice system should be respected and we should never allow anyone to tear it down, it's as simple as that."
Politico notes President Biden's aides offered three reasons why they weren't being more vocal about Donald Trump's guilty verdict in his "hush money" criminal trial:
"1. There's no need to spike the football when the conviction is already dominating the news; 2. polling suggests the race will turn on other issues, so seizing on the conviction could be a trap; and 3. they can always readjust if the conviction somehow turns into more of an anchor for Trump."
"The Biden campaign moved swiftly to seize on the guilty verdict of Donald Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star," Politico reports.
"But while the campaign declared the ruling to be confirmation that 'no one is above the law,' it also urged Democrats not to assume that a convicted felon could not end up elected as president."
Politico: "As a convicted felon in New York and now resident in Florida, Trump's ability to cast a ballot there depends on the sentence imposed by the judge in his hush money case — and when or if he completes it."
"Florida, like most states, restricts the ability of people with felony convictions to vote. But the state restores the right to vote for most convicted felons after they complete all aspects of their sentence…"
"If a Florida resident is convicted of a felony in another state, and the crime is recognized by Florida, the same rules apply, according to Alex Saiz, legal director of the Florida Justice Center."
Washington Post: "If the former president had been convicted in Republican-dominated Florida or most other states, he would not be allowed to vote this fall as he seeks to unseat President Biden. But Trump was convicted in New York, a Democrat-run state where felon voting laws are more lenient, and that makes all the difference for his ability to keep his right to vote."
"Under Florida law, residents convicted of crimes in other states lose their ability to vote in Florida only if they are barred from voting in the state where they committed their offenses… In New York, where Trump was convicted, felons are barred from voting only while they are incarcerated."
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent.
It's unclear whether Manchin will continue to caucus with Democrats in the Senate.
Karl Rove told Fox News that Donald Trump's guilty verdicts in the "hush money" trial could cost him the key swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Said Rove: "Let's not underestimate that there is a problem."
He added: "Think about this. Those numbers, like 11% less likely to vote for him, think about Michigan where they're, in the RealClearPolitics average, Donald Trump is up by one half of 1%. Or Pennsylvania, where he's up by 2%, or Wisconsin, where he's up by 3/10 of 1%. So in a close race, like we're likely to have, having 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11% of the electorate less likely to vote for you is a problem."
In a memo, Donald Trump's pollsters claimed they polled the seven swing states and found President Trump's lead "fell by two net points among those asked how they would vote if he was convicted."
The pollsters dismissed that finding as "insignificant."
"U.S. inflation tracked sideways in April, a worrying sign for the U.S. central bank that suggests the elevated pace of price increases could last longer than expected and casts doubt on how soon it will be able to cut interest rates," Reuters reports.
Matt Lewis: "If being convicted of a crime results in Donald Trump winning the White House again, why should any law or norm stop him from doing whatever he wants to do?"
"We've entered new political and legal territory as a nation. Donald Trump will now force every GOP candidate to trash our judicial system."— Presidential historian Tim Naftali, on X.
Ankush Khardori: "They made a series of significant strategic and tactical errors before Michael Cohen even took the stand that appeared likely to be the product of Trump — the client's — decision-making."
CBS News: "Trump could also be sentenced to home detention, where he would wear an ankle bracelet and be monitored rather than going to jail. Horwitz suggested that a home detention sentence, which walks a middle ground between no punishment and a stint in state prison, might be the most likely outcome. It would also satisfy Trump's unusual security and political situation."
"A home detention sentence would also make it possible for Trump to continue campaigning — albeit virtually — with the ability to hold news conferences and remain active on social media."
Steve Benen updates the list:
- Donald Trump was charged, convicted, and is awaiting sentencing.
- Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
- Trump's former campaign vice chairman, Rick Gates, was charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
- Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
- Trump's former adviser and former campaign aide, Roger Stone, was charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
- Trump's former adviser and former White House aide Peter Navarro, was charged, convicted, and is currently in prison.
- Trump's former campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, was charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
- The Trump Organization's former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, was charged, convicted, and sentenced to prison.
- Trump's former White House national security advisor, Michael Flynn, was charged and convicted.
- Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering, in addition to a conviction in a contempt case similar to Navarro's. He's currently awaiting sentencing.
Wall Street Journal: "The former reality-television star's 2016 victory may have upended politics for good. Trump overcame numerous obstacles to win, including allegations of sexual impropriety by numerous women. He lost in 2020 as the pandemic ravaged the country, and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was thought by many to be the start of the end for Trump. His approval rating dipped among Republicans. But that was temporary, and the indictments in multiple criminal cases solidified his standing with his core voters, allowing Trump to easily roll over more than a dozen primary challengers."
"Meanwhile, his brash style and freewheeling rallies have now become commonplace, and neither his indictments nor his sometimes inflammatory comments seem to have budged voters' views of him."
"Before 12 New Yorkers branded Donald Trump a felon, a very different kind of jury — one assembled at the sumptuous Pierre hotel on Fifth Avenue — had reached a verdict of its own," Bloomberg reports.
"Even if the courtroom jury found him guilty as charged, the wealthy Wall Streeters at the Pierre concluded, he'd still be their choice for the White House."
Daily Beast: Elon Musk is absolutely raging about Trump verdict.
"Donald Trump suggested to oil executive donors this month that he could ease the Federal Trade Commission's scrutiny of their industry's mergers and acquisitions if he returns to the White House," the Washington Post reports.
"Trump's remarks, which have not previously been reported, indicated that he may try to influence the FTC, an independent agency, on behalf of his supporters."
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