Rep. Dean Phillips said pardoning former President Donald Trump for his felony conviction would be “for the good of the country.”

Mr. Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat who mounted an unsuccessful White House run this year, said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul should consider the pardon not to exonerate him but to heal the nation.

“Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater, and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Mr. Phillips said on X. “Gov. Kathy Hochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”

Mr. Trump was convicted Thursday of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

Mr. Phillips said the verdict would likely help Mr. Trump rake in more campaign donations and boost him in the polls.

“You think pardoning is stupid? Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are entirely different,)” he said. “It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”

Indeed, Mr. Trump’s campaign and GOP organizations shattered fundraising records following the guilty verdict handed down by a Manhattan jury.

The ex-president’s son, Eric Trump, bragged about drawing $52.8 million less than a full day after his father was convicted. The National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee also posted record fundraising hauls.

Mr. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.