Key Republicans outraged at Trump's hush money conviction

Several prominent Republican leaders expressed outrage on Thursday, after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying his business records to conceal an alleged hush money payment.

A jury of 12 people in Manhattan convicted Trump on all counts related to a hush money payment made to former porn star Stormy Daniels. He will be sentenced on July 11. Defense attorneys for Trump likely plan to appeal the verdict.

Members of Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, reacted to the news via statements on social media. 

"Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one," Johnson posted to X. "The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.

"The American people see this as lawfare, and they know it is wrong—and dangerous. President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict—and he WILL WIN!"

House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan also posted his reaction to X, claiming the guilty verdict was a "travesty of justice."

"The Manhattan kangaroo court shows what happens when our justice system is weaponized by partisan prosecutors in front of a biased judge with an unfair process, designed to keep President Trump off the campaign trail and avoid bringing attention to President Biden’s failing radical policies," Jordan posted. "Americans see through Democrats' lawfare tactics and know President Trump will be vindicated on appeal."

Even Trump's former primary opponents expressed anger in the ruling, with former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy claiming that the verdict would "backfire" on Democrats. 

"Trump led criminal justice reform. Now he’s suffering criminal *injustice* at the highest level," Ramaswamy posted. "One of surprising effects of this sham verdict: more black voters will flock to Trump in droves & for good reason. I didn’t think the Democrat Party would be so dumb, but here we are."

Another former Trump challenger, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the case itself was politicized because if Trump were not the defendant then the case would have been dismissed. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a felony and is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for president.

"It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law," DeSantis posted to X. "If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict. In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court."