It’s one of those headlines that surely could have been written with a high degree of accuracy before yesterday’s guilty verdict in the trial of former President Donald Trump was handed down.
On Thursday evening a New York City jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts associated with falsifying business records in an effort to cover up hush-money payments prior to the 2016 presidential election. And just as many have since 2016, and especially in the wake of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost, top Texas Republicans rushed to the 2024 GOP presidential nominee’s defense.
“This was a sham show trial. The Kangaroo Court will never stand on appeal,” Gov. Greg Abbott posted to X, echoing the sentiments many other Trump supporters around the country have been vocalizing for weeks. “Americans deserve better than a sitting U.S. President weaponizing our justice system against a political opponent — all to win an election. We must FIRE Joe Biden in November.”
Not to be outdone by the governor, Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, a man who attended some of the trial to demonstrate his fealty to Trump, was also itching to make his views on the verdict heard. In his post, Paxton alleged that “America will never be the same after today.”
He’s correct, after all. Before the verdict, America had never had a former president who had been convicted of a felony.
“This verdict is an outright assault not only on President Trump but on every American who believes in justice and the rule of law,” wrote Paxton on Thursday. “This is a battle of good versus evil and let me be clear: the political elite may think they've won this battle, but President Trump and the unstoppable MAGA movement will win the war.”
For some, simply supporting Trump wasn't profound enough of a social media statement. Arlington state Rep. Tony Tinderholt quote-tweeted the AG so he could support Paxton’s support of Trump.
“This trial is a joke and the American people deserve better,” the ultra-conservative Rep. wrote. “I’m especially grateful today to have an Attorney General ready to fight the Left’s corruption here in Texas.”
This trial is a joke and the American people deserve better. I’m especially grateful today, to have an Attorney General ready to fight the Left’s corruption here in Texas. #txlege https://t.co/SpIeQwcjhV
— Rep. Tony Tinderholt (@reptinderholt) May 30, 2024
The two U.S. senators from Texas, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, alerted their bases to just how angered they were as well. Cornyn, found himself in agreement with Paxton, his sparring partner in recent months, when he wrote that the verdict is “a discharge” and that the form pres needs to be rallied around “now more than ever.”
For his part, Cruz took to Fox News to call the verdict “an absolute travesty,” while tweeting that Democrats “only care about calling him [Trump] a felon over and over again before Election Day.”
Also predictably, local Democrat elected officials viewed the historic verdict in a decidedly different light. Dallas U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, whose profile continues to rise thanks to her willingness to engage her opponents, relied on her consistently colorful tone to show both relief, exaltation and exasperation.
“Whew chile! Guilty on all counts in a state case! No matter what happens in November, he cannot “undo” this verdict,” she posted to X. “I know many are celebrating & I get it, but my heart fucking breaks for our country! How did we get here?! When did we stop requiring some darned decency of the most powerful person on Earth?!”
Whew chile! Guilty on all counts in a state case! No matter what happens in November, he cannot “undo” this verdict. I know many are celebrating & I get it, but my heart fucking breaks for our country! How did we get here?! When did we stop requiring some darned decency of the…
— Jasmine Crockett (@JasmineForUS) May 30, 2024
