Texas Republicans lost their minds — not to mention their shit — on social media after a New York jury on Thursday found former Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Trump was released without bond and will be sentenced July 11. Most legal experts expect the former president to appeal the verdict.
Predictably, Republican officeholders from Texas including Gov. Greg Abbott, state Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wasted no time in tweeting out descriptions of the verdict as a “kangaroo court” and a “sham.”
“Americans deserve better than a sitting U.S. President weaponizing our justice system against a political opponent — all to win an election,” Abbott said of the verdict on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “We must FIRE Joe Biden in November.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who attended Trump’s trial earlier this month in a show of support for the former president, amped up the hyperbole by calling Trump’s legal fight a “battle of good versus evil.”
“America will never be the same after today, but we will fight back harder than ever for the values and freedom, that define our nation,” tweeted Paxton, who was last year mired in a high-profile impeachment scandal. “The American people know President Trump is innocent, and together, we will stand by him and prevail.”
Meanwhile, Cruz, who himself faces accusations of campaign finance violations, called the verdict a “dark day for America” and a “disgraceful decision.”
However, U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar, Democrats who represent parts of San Antonio, chimed in with decidedly different takes from Texas GOP politicians.
“The Republican nominee for President of the United States is a convicted felon — decided by a jury of his peers. Nobody is above the law,” Castro tweeted. “Nobody is above the law.”
Casar said via tweet that he was unsurprised by the verdict, considering Trump had spent much of his adult life “lying, cheating and stealing.”
It’s yet to be seen how Trump’s conviction will affect his political numbers. However, the Trump campaign did raise a record $34.8 million in donations following the verdict, CNBC reports.
Trump, Biden and possibly vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are slated to face off June 27 in a nationally televised presidential debate.
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This article appears in May 1-14, 2024.
