Republicans in Washington launched a fierce defense of Donald Trump on Friday after the president-elect received an unconditional discharge in his New York hush-money case, while Democrats maintained a conspicuous silence on the historic conviction.
The speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, characterized the case as “a politically motivated and contrived witch hunt” designed specifically to prevent Trump’s return to the White House.
“The judge grossly perverted the American legal system by manipulating existing law in a purely partisan effort to convert a bogus misdemeanor charge into a felony,” Johnson wrote in a statement, arguing that both “Judge Merchan and the deranged prosecution have done untold damage to our justice system”.
The speaker’s comments came amid a wave of Republican responses that painted the case as a failed attempt at political persecution, even as the verdict technically makes Trump the first US president to be criminally convicted.
“This lawfare against President Trump is toxic to our republic and is a tremendous setback for the American court system,” the Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn wrote in one of a series of posts.
Like many of her colleagues, she focused on what legislators view as the political motivations behind the prosecution. “The radical left will never stop in their pursuit to take down President Trump,” she wrote. “Their goal from the beginning was to label Trump as a convicted felon.”
The case’s resolution – which leaves Trump free to assume office on 20 January despite his conviction on 34 felony counts – prompted particularly pointed criticism of the resources invested in the prosecution. “What a pathetic waste of taxpayer resources that should be used on the real crimes harming New Yorkers,” wrote the Tennessee senator Bill Hagerty, dismissing the proceedings as “a political campaign sham”.
The unified Republican response stands in stark contrast to the silence from Democratic quarters, marking a significant shift from previous Trump-related legal developments. It potentially signals a shift as the party grapples with how to approach Trump’s impending return to the White House while carrying the status of a convicted felon.
Trump himself maintained his defiance, posting a lengthy statement on Truth Social that echoed many of his supporters. “The real Jury, the American People, have spoken,” he wrote, pointing to his recent election victory as vindication. He vowed to appeal the felon label, in what he termed a “Hoax” and characterized the proceedings as “Election Interference”.
The Senate judiciary Republicans suggested broader institutional damage, writing that “America’s cherished institutions were harmed in the process. It’s time to restore faith in our judicial system.” This sentiment was also amplified by Johnson, who wrote in his statement that “restoring the American people’s trust in our system of justice will be critically important”.
Some Republicans, such as the South Carolina representative Nancy Mace, sought to draw attention to what they perceive as inconsistent treatment in high-profile cases, particularly questioning the prosecution’s priorities compared to other investigations. “The Left think Hunter Biden isn’t guilty but Trump is?!?!?”, she wrote on X.
The Indiana representative Rudy Yakym framed the case’s conclusion as a prelude to political renewal.
“America’s comeback begins in 10 days.”
