National GOP leaders were quick to criticize the outcome of Donald Trump’s trial, but Republicans in Connecticut gave a range of reactions about the first-ever conviction of a former U.S. president that reflects the tenuous political environment in a blue state.
Some Republicans in the state approached the guilty verdict with a subdued response. Others echoed Trump’s own criticism that the hush-money trial was weaponized for political purposes ahead of the November presidential election.
Many Connecticut Republicans say they are supporting him again, while others have sidestepped the question. Still, they argue that Trump’s trial is unlikely to move the needle for voters who largely have solidified opinions of Trump and his legal woes.
Jurors in New York on Thursday found Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment of $130,000 to a p*rn star who claims she had a brief affair with him. Trump will be sentenced in July, days before he is expected to accept the presidential nomination at the Republican convention in Milwaukee. He is expected to appeal the decision.
President Joe Biden won the state by 20 percentage points over Trump in the 2020 election. And no Republicans have represented the state in Congress since 2009.
Republican candidate George Logan, who is seeking a rematch against U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, in the state’s most competitive congressional race, said it is up to voters if the conviction will factor into whether they can support the former president this fall.
Logan, who narrowly lost to Hayes in 2022, has not publicly indicated whether he will support Trump in November.
“This is an unprecedented time in American history.I expect a vigorous appeal by President Trump and his legal team,” Logan said in a statement. “Ultimately, the voters will decide what impact this has on their decision in November.”
Following his appearance in court on Thursday, Trump said he was innocent and put out a statement that also served as a template for his supporters.
“This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. It’s a rigged trial, a disgrace,” Trump said. “The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here.”
Other Republicans in Connecticut and across the U.S. also believed the trial was politically motivated and used as a way to keep him from returning to the White House.
“As attorneys, we have the utmost respect for the American justice system and share an unequivocal belief in the rule of law,” House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding said in a joint statement. “As legislators, we do all we can to support the work of our judges, juries, and prosecutors in preserving the most fundamental institutions of our republic. However, we cannot ignore the fact that the events that have transpired in New York City point to a weaponization of those very institutions to achieve a political end.”
“These events have created a highly troubling scenario, which will invariably end up on appeal and raise serious constitutional challenges,” they added. “The one thing we are sure of is that our Constitution will prevail.”
While political fallout from the conviction could pose some issues, state Republican party chairman Ben Proto believes Trump will still become the GOP nominee over the summer and does not expect the trial to change voters’ minds.
“We’re going to go to Milwaukee in July. I have no reason to believe Trump won’t be re-nominated,” Proto said after the verdict, adding that opinions on the former president and his legal troubles already were deeply held. “I don’t know if there is a big impact — or any impact.”
Both parties have used the top of the ticket as a way to define their opponents.
Republicans have taken aim at Biden, questioning him on issues like inflation and the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly in the race for the 5th District in their effort to unseat Hayes.
“The voters have spoken and the primary process has run its course and Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for President,” Logan tweeted back in March. “It’s clear not only from the primary results, but from talking to people throughout the 41 towns in the 5th district that they feel worse off than they did four years ago, even two years ago.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have sought to use Trump as a wedge issue heading into the November elections. Logan has said he wants to focus on the 5th District. A day before the verdict, Hayes’ campaign put out a statement that Logan should say where he stands on Trump as a candidate for office.
“Our justice system was tested in unique ways during this trial. The rule of law, presumption of innocence, due process and trial by jury are cornerstones of our democracy,” Hayes said in a statement about the verdict. “Today’s verdict shows that no one is above the law. Donald Trump had his day in court and today he is a convicted felon.”
Connecticut Democrats said the guilty verdict upheld the rule of law, including for a former occupant of the White House.
“Trump toadies are going to attack the jury and the court because they have a plan to dismantle our democracy and it relies on everyone believing the justice system is rigged,” U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., tweeted. “It isn’t.Donald Trump committed a crime. He got caught. He got convicted. That’s the rule of law.”
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) May 30, 2024Trump toadies are going to attack the jury and the court because they have a plan to dismantle our democracy and it relies on everyone believing the justice system is rigged.
It isn’t.
Donald Trump committed a crime. He got caught. He got convicted. That’s the rule of law.
But Democrats, including those on Biden’s campaign, believe that the only way to defeat Trump is “at the ballot box.”
“Today’s verdict is welcome and sends a strong message that nobody is above the law,” Connecticut Democratic State Party Chair Nancy DiNardo said. “We are going to work every day until November 5th to make sure Connecticut voters deliver another verdict, that Donald Trump is profoundly unfit to serve as President, and Joe Biden is the leader we need in the White House.”
Staff Writer Mark Pazniokas contributed to this report.
The Connecticut Mirror/Connecticut Public Radio federal policy reporter positionis made possible, in part, by funding from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation.
