State officials react to Trump guilty verdict

Photo credit: Library of Congress

Thursday afternoon, former President Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts of felony falsification of business records by a New York jury, which spent about 10 hours in deliberations.  

While business records listed a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels as legal fees, testimony indicated the payment from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was paid for silence about an alleged sexual encounter with the former president, who has denied all wrongdoing.  

Trump is expected to appeal the jury decision and sentencing was scheduled to take place on July 11.  

He now becomes the first president to be convicted of a crime.  

Reaction to Thursday’s verdict was swift and along party lines. Following is a sampling of reaction from state officials in Mississippi.   

Gov. Tate Reeves

The lawless conviction of President Donald Trump only reflects the desperation of President Biden and the corrupt methods he will use to steal this election. I am confident that justice will prevail, and the people of America will not reward the leftwing wannabe dictators abusing our justice system in November.

Make America Great Again!

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann

The election is in November. The voters will make the final decision on our President, who will be Donald Trump.

Sen. Roger Wicker

Cindy Hyde-Smith

This has always been a politically-motivated sham prosecution. I am confident this injustice will be overturned on appeal. The American people see straight through this blatant attempt to influence an election by weaponizing our legal system. Democrats can’t win on their failed policies, so they’re doing everything imaginable to distract focus away from Biden’s incompetence. It won’t work, and I look forward to seeing President Trump sworn in again next January.

Secretary Michael Watson

If they can do it to DJT, they can do it to you. As an aside, if any businesses are looking to get out of NY, our tax structure and regulatory reform measures have Mississippi on the rise. Come on down!

Auditor Shad White

Democrats love to talk about how important democracy is, but today we saw a justice system weaponized to undermine democracy. 

What a travesty. 

Make America Great Again.

Cong. Trent Kelly

The verdict against President Trump is a travesty! This action moves us one step closer to becoming something less than a democracy. This political prosecution is a mockery of the American Constitution, and a miscarriage of justice. As a former district attorney and prosecutor, I am sickened by the lack of honesty, professionalism, and integrity by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Many reversible errors were committed during the trial, and the public’s faith in the judicial system has been shaken.

Cong. Bennie Thompson (Only Democrat among state’s congressional delegation)

Donald Trump is now a convicted felon, found guilty on all 34 counts. If I haven’t said it enough, no one is above the law, and today, the rule of law has prevailed.

We also received comments from two Democratic candidates for office in the November election, Dianne Black of Olive Branch, who is running against incumbent Republican Cong. Trent Kelly for the 1st District Congressional Seat. We also received a statement from Ty Pinkins, who is running against incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker for Wicker’s seat in the U.S. Senate. 

Dianne Black – Democratic candidate for 1st District Congress

“As the Democratic nominee for the US House of Representatives for Mississippi, I have to say I was not surprised by yesterday’s guilty verdict. We all saw the never-ending Trump crime wave. We despaired that Trump would never be held accountable, that unlike us, he was above the law. But we saw yesterday that NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who shows up to support our Democracy by serving jury duty.”

Ty Pinkins – Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate 

“Today marks a significant and troubling moment in our nation’s history. With the conviction of Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, it is clear that no one is above the law. This is a reminder of the critical importance of integrity and accountability in our leaders. As a veteran who has dedicated my life to serving our country, I believe in the rule of law and the fundamental principles that underpin our democracy. We need leaders who will stand up for what is right, not those who will turn a blind eye to corruption and criminal behavior.”