Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who has consistently refrained from discussing the presidential race or his ongoing dispute with former President Trump, expressed his support for Trump on Thursday evening.
McConnell wasted no time in expressing his disagreement with the guilty verdict delivered by the jury. Shortly after the verdict was announced, he boldly asserted that the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, had made a mistake by pursuing the case in the first place. Furthermore, he confidently predicted that the conviction would ultimately be overturned.
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“I believe that these charges should never have been brought in the first place. In my opinion, the conviction will be overturned on appeal,” McConnell stated in a post on social media platform X.
McConnell’s unexpected move to comment on the court case he has been avoiding discussing for months suggests that Trump’s conviction might serve as a unifying force within the GOP. It could potentially rally even those who have been skeptical of him within the party to come to his defense.
McConnell has allowed Trump to be left hanging by choosing to remain silent during other significant moments.
In April of last year, the Senate GOP leader maintained a conspicuous silence while Trump pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony counts filed by Bragg.
A notable distinction between the present and the past is that one year ago, Republicans who were not particularly supportive of Trump had optimism that the nomination for president might be secured by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or another Republican candidate.
Rather than allowing his opponents to obstruct his path, Trump effortlessly overcame opposition to become the probable GOP nominee in this year’s primary.
Despite his efforts, he has encountered difficulty in uniting the party. In states like Indiana, a considerable portion of GOP primary voters have chosen to support former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, even though she withdrew from the presidential race in March.
The verdict on Thursday may bring skeptical mainstream Republicans closer to Trump.
Sen. Susan Collins, a prominent Senate Republican moderate, expressed her disapproval of Bragg’s actions on Thursday. Collins, who had previously voted to convict Trump for his role in inciting the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, accused Bragg of engaging in a politically motivated prosecution.
“I just landed from a flight and came across the news. From the very beginning, it was clear that this case was driven by political motives, and today’s verdict does nothing to alleviate the partisan nature of this prosecution,” expressed Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.), who previously opposed Trump’s attempt to impede the certification of Joe Biden’s election win in 2021. It is worth noting that Trump later sought to retaliate against Thune by attempting to end his career.”
In an attempt to oust Thune from office in 2022, Trump made efforts to find a conservative primary challenger but was unsuccessful in his endeavor.
Thune seemed to have completely forgotten about the previous animosity after learning about the verdict.
Thune reacted to the verdict, stating that regardless of the outcome, an increasing number of Americans are coming to the realization that the country cannot withstand another four years under Joe Biden’s leadership. Thune believes that with President Trump in the White House and a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, there is hope to put an end to the detrimental Biden-Schumer agenda that is causing immense harm to American families and businesses.
Shortly after Mitch McConnell criticized the successful prosecution of Trump, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) promptly issued his own response.
Schumer expressed his belief in the principle that no one is immune to the law and emphasized that the verdict itself was a clear indication of this.
