Lara Trumpco-chair of the Republican National Committee, on Sunday criticized former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) for not coming out to defend his father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, who was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial.
Hogan issued a statement on Thursday, before the former president’s conviction was announced, urging Americans “to respect the verdict and the legal process” regardless of the outcome.
“At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders – regardless of party – must not add fuel to the fire with more toxic partisanship,” Hogan said in his statement. “We must reaffirm what made this nation great: the rule of law.”
In an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union”, Lara Trump spoke out vehemently against Hogan, who is now the Republican candidate for US Senate in Maryland.
“I think it’s ridiculous, and I think anyone who doesn’t speak out in the face of something that really should never have seen the light of day again, a trial that would never have been brought against anyone other than Donald Trump, doesn’t do it. I don’t deserve anyone’s respect,” she said.
Hogan “doesn’t deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party right now and, frankly, of anyone in America,” she continued.
Asked whether the RNC would still be willing to spend party resources to support Hogan’s Senate bid, Trump responded: “I will get back to you on all the details monetarily, but what I can say is that as co-chair of the Republican Party, , I think he should never have said something like that.
Chris LaCivita, co-manager of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, also disagreed with Hogan’s comments.
“You just ended your campaign,” LaCivita he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Hogan, a moderate Republican, served as governor of Maryland for eight years but was barred from running again due to term limits. About a third of registered Democrats in the state crossed party lines twice to vote for him.
Hogan is now running for the seat held by retiring Sen. Ben Cardin (D), giving Republicans an opportunity to rebound in a deep blue state.
Earlier this year, Hogan considered running for president but ultimately decided against it. He is one of the few Republicans who has publicly criticized the former president.
In March, Hogan explained his decision to sit out the Republican presidential primary in a New York Times article. “We cannot afford to have Mr. Trump as our candidate and suffer defeat for the fourth consecutive election cycle,” he wrote. “To once again be a successful governing party, we must move on from Mr. Trump.”
A week later, Trump won easily the necessary number of delegates to secure the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
