Donald Trump‘s former GOP primary rivals excoriated Thursday’s unprecedented news of the former president being found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), perhaps Trump’s toughest 2024 rival, was the first of the former Republican presidential candidates to weigh in and denounce the verdict.
“It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law,” DeSantis posted in a lengthy statement on X, just minutes after the verdict was announced. “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.”
Ramaswamy then moved on to attack Judge Juan Merchan and his daughter, Loren Merchan, whom Trump had previously attacked. “The judge’s daughter is a Democrat operative who literally raised $$ from the trial while her father presided over it,” he continued. “This will backfire.”
“The judge was a Biden donor. The prosecutors were Biden supporters,” Burgum, who has appeared at court in support Trump, continued on X. “This Lawfare should scare every American. The American people will have their say in November.
“It is not easy to see a former President and the presumptive GOP nominee convicted of felony crimes; but the jury verdict should be respected,” he posted. “An appeal is in order but let’s not diminish the significance of this verdict.”
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Neither has Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), another rumored running mate for Trump. But hours before the verdict was announced, he posted on X: “The only verdict that matters is the one at the ballot box.”