New York, New Jersey lawmakers react to Trump's guilty verdict
NEW YORK -- New York and New Jersey lawmakers reacted Thursday after former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies in his "hush money" trial in Manhattan.
The jury found Trump violated the law by falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
The trial started in Manhattan back in April. Jury deliberations began Wednesday, and the 12 jurors reached a verdict late Thursday afternoon.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement, "Today's verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law. In preparation for a verdict in this trial, I directed my Administration to closely coordinate with local and federal law enforcement and we continue to monitor the situation. We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system."
Mayor Eric Adams issued a similar statement, saying, "Today, a jury of 12 New Yorkers registered their verdict. Our criminal justice process must be respected. As we await the next steps, New Yorkers should rest assured that the NYPD stands ready to respond to any and all circumstances, including large-scale protests. While peaceful protests and assembly will always be protected, we will not be a city of any form of lawlessness."
In a press conference Thursday evening, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in part, "While this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial, and ultimately today at this verdict, in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors -- by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor."
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams released the following statement:
"This guilty verdict is a moment for justice, but not celebration. It is the first time that this man, who has had every privilege and no barriers in his entire life, is finally facing some level of accountability. I commend District Attorney Bragg for steadfastly and professionally pursuing that accountability in the face of vicious attacks.
"In my role as Public Advocate, I have seen far too many wealthy and well-connected people circumvent justice while disenfranchised New Yorkers fall victim to injustice. Donald Trump is not a victim of anything but his own character and wrongdoing, and his victims are innumerable across 91 felony charges and across the country.
"There will be many who try to defend or excuse Trump – many of the same people notably silent about the five innocent Black teenagers he once condemned to death – but it is clear in this verdict, and in the decade of evidence we've all been witness to, that he is entirely unfit to represent anyone."
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents New York's 11th Congressional District in Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, said in a statement:
"Today's verdict is a complete but sadly unsurprising miscarriage of justice, and we knew all along that in the borough of Manhattan, where more than 86% of the population rejected President Trump, that he would not have a fair trial of his peers.
"What Alvin Bragg and the Democrats have accused President Trump of doing in 2016 — conspiring to promote or prevent the election of a person to public office by unlawful means — is exactly what the Democrats themselves have done with this political prosecution. They concocted and conspired this entire witch-hunt and weaponized our judicial system to interfere with the election and prevent President Trump from being reelected in November.
"This is an unprecedented, sad, and downright scary day for our country, which at its core has the principle of innocent until PROVEN guilty with actual EVIDENCE. Too many Americans who came here from other countries fled the exact same type of judicial abuses, and now is the time for all freedom loving Americans to rally around President Trump because we cannot allow what happens in third world, socialist countries to happen here.
"I'm confident that upon appeal, these charges will be overturned and come November, voters will see through this charade and the other attempts to block President Trump from retaking the White House. They understand that the Biden-Harris Administration and their radical-left allies will do and say anything to deflect from their failed policies that have resulted in out of control crime, runaway inflation, wide open borders and a foreign policy that has made America and our world less safe."
After the verdict was announced, New York Attorney General Letitia James posted on social media, "No one is above the law."
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's statement said, "No one should be above the law. Like every criminal defendant, Mr. Trump had the opportunity to mount a vigorous defense and to be judged by a jury of his peers. I respect the jury's verdict."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman commented on the verdict Thursday evening, saying in part, "I think this is the biggest miscarriage of justice that I have witnessed in my life. As a lawyer, I can't see any basis for a conviction."
Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement:
"Today, our legal system has reaffirmed that no one is above the law, not even a former president.
"The fact is that former President Trump was afforded his due process rights and was able to mount a full defense in a court of law, like every criminal defendant should. The 34 guilty verdicts in President Trump's case mean that a jury of his peers, after impartially reviewing the evidence presented and having sworn an oath to perform their duties faithfully, unanimously determined beyond a reasonable doubt — 34 separate times — that the former president broke the law."