June 1 — Alabama residents and lawmakers offered mixed and partisan reactions to a jury’s decision Thursday, May 30, to find former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Trump maintained his innocence in a statement released shortly after the jury handed down its verdict on Thursday.
“This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. It is a fraudulent trial,” the statement said. “I’m a very innocent man and that’s okay, I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being defrauded right now.”
Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl said the former president has ALGOP’s full support following the trial that he said “threatens the very foundations of our democratic system.”
“The left-wing judicial process against him is clearly politically motivated. The facts surrounding this entire situation date back to 2016. These Democratic elected officials had eight years to file charges, but they chose to act only when Donald Trump began to lead Joe Biden in polls. The judicial system should never be used as a political weapon and we are deeply disappointed with what we have seen throughout this case,” Wahl said in a statement on Thursday.
Alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt echoed statements shared by Trump after the verdict.
“Today is a sad and shameful day. Democrats have just set the dangerous and destructive precedent of the ruling party weaponizing prosecutorial powers against their political adversary. This is a hallmark of a banana republic, not a constitutional republic” , Britt posted on X.
Tubberville described the trial as a “political witch hunt” and “a complete joke” that served only to interfere with the upcoming presidential election.
“Liberal activist Alvin Bragg and Biden donor Judge Merchan had a common goal: to put President Trump behind bars. Whether you consider the lopsided jury, the gag order issued to silence only President Trump, the failure of the prosecution to outline the alleged underlying crimes, or the lack of a unanimous verdict required for conviction, this trial was a complete joke and a massive misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Tubberville said in a statement.
New York law says that although “unlawful means” cannot be used to promote a candidate’s election, prosecutors are not required to describe what specific underlying crime occurred. Before jury deliberations began on Wednesday, May 29, Merchan instructed jurors that they “must be unanimous” on each count to reach a guilty verdict. He said they must agree that Trump falsified business records with the intent to commit or conceal another crime, but did not have to agree on what specific “illegal means” he may have used.
Regardless of the decision, Cullman County Republican Party Chairman Alex Chaney said the most comprehensive voice of the American people would be expressed on Election Day.
“The people of the United States will determine our next president in November, not 12 jurors in one of the most liberal cities in the country,” Chaney said.
On Friday, the Alabama Democratic Party directed The Times to the statement released by the Biden campaign, which said the verdict demonstrates how “no one is above the law” but also encouraged Democratic supporters to remain vigilant during the remaining months. before November.
“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed that he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict doesn’t change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out. from the Oval Office: at the polls,” the statement said. “Convicted criminal or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.”
Several local Democratic supporters said they felt the verdict would do little to dissuade support from Trump’s most loyal supporters, but they struggled to make sense of reality.
“Witnessing Clinton-era Promise Keepers evangelicals who insisted on voting for leaders with integrity voted overwhelmingly for Trump was and is the most politically disturbing thing I have ever witnessed. Cullman County construction worker Josh Freeman said.
Cullman County Democratic Party Chairman Lance Conn described the convictions as a “drop in the bucket” for many voters.
“For those who are firmly on both sides of the aisle, I don’t expect much to change,” Conn said. “It’s hard to watch my Republican friends, especially those who taught my Sunday School classes growing up, ignore the constant warning signs regarding the character of their presumptive presidential nominee. I can’t reconcile the conservative spirit they espouse with the convicted criminal they idolize. If he is re-elected, I wonder if any criminal or treasonous actions would give them pause.
