Texas leaders are reacting to a Manhattan jury's historic conviction of former President Donald Trump's conviction in the "hush money" case.
A 12-person jury found Trump, 2024's presumptive Republican nominee in the Oval Office race, guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex. He is set to be sentenced July 11.
Moments after the verdict was read, Gov. Greg Abbott – an ally of Trump's – posted on X about what he called "a sham show trial."
"Americans deserve better than a sitting U.S. President weaponizing our justice system against a political opponent—all to win an election," Abbott's post went on to read. "We must FIRE Joe Biden in November."
Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick called the verdict "an absolute travesty of our judicial system."
Despite considerable fractures among Texas Republicans in the past year, the state’s Republicans have remained consistent in their defense of Trump through his legal woes. They have rallied to his side through the FBI search on his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and stood by him through his indictments.
The New York trial ballooned into a cause-celebre for the political right. Trump’s Texan allies traveled to New York to support him during the trial, including Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton has been floated as a potential pick to be U.S. attorney general in a second Trump administration. He led a lawsuit challenging other states’ election results in 2020 and has sued the Biden administration numerous times to stop its policies on issues ranging from immigration to gender.
Paxton posted Thursday afternoon that that "my support for him is stronger than ever."
Both of the U.S. senators from Texas also voiced their disapproval of the verdict. Ted Cruz proclaimed it "a dark day for America."
The Texas Republican Party's official account posted on X that the "verdict shows just how far Democrats will go to destroy those they simply disagree with." The Texas Democrats have not put out a statement.
See other reactions from Republicans below:
Some Democrats are weighing in as well. Congressman Joaquin Castro shared the following.
His brother, former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, posted a short message ending with: "Lock him up!"
See other reactions from Democrats below:
This is a developing story.
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