California reactions to Trump convicted of all counts in New York hush money trial
SACRAMENTO — For the first time in American history, a former president is a convicted felon. Donald Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying records that all go back to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
On Thursday, the jurors decided after 11 hours of deliberation that the former president was guilty of all counts he was facing.
It was a case all about proving Trump hid payments to Daniels to keep that encounter from leaking to the public and hurting his bid for the White House. Daniels said the encounter happened at a home in South Lake Tahoe.
Among the evidence the jury saw during the trial were checks with Trump's signature—something the prosecution said proved Trump's guilt.
Trump, talking to reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom, called the verdict "a disgrace" and questioned the integrity of the trial.
"This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," Trump said.
One Republican lawmaker in California and Trump's former California campaign chair both reacted to the verdict on Thursday.
Assemblymember Bill Essayli doubled down on his commitment to Donald Trump, calling the conviction a political attack.
"I am a delegate at the GOP convention. Regardless of what happens at his sentencing, I will be nominating and voting for President Trump as the next president of the United States," Essayli told CBS13. "And I'm going to tell you right now. Today's verdict is not the important one. The only verdict that matters is the one on November 5."
We posed the same question of where the Republican Parrty goes from here to Doug Ose, Trump's former California campaign chair.
"I am very concerned that the outcome of this proceeding is going to drive everybody into their respective corners and we're just going to have more people shouting at each other rather than thinking about what's best for the country," he said.
Ose also said that he no longer endorses the former president.
"I've tweeted for some time now about my dissatisfaction about the choices that are being presented to us (this election cycle)," Ose said. "I continue to be dissatisfied with the choices, and frankly, as I've tweeted before, it's enough to make me look at RFK, Jr."
Ose's views stand outside the official messaging of the California Republican Party, which issued a statement following the verdict that reads, in part:
"Today's guilty verdict is a dark day for our justice system and our nation that never should have happened. From the very beginning, this was a politically motivated case brought by a far-left district attorney..."
Rusty Hicks, the chair of the California Democratic Party tweeted out the following statement after the verdict was announced:
"Today, the People of New York have returned a guilty verdict and rendered Donald Trump a convicted felon.
In November, the American People will render him a two-time loser for President.
And California Democrats are going to do our part to make it so."
Trump's legal team said the process to appeal is already underway, vowing to fight every step to clear his name. Judge Juan Merchan announced that the former president would be sentenced on July 11, and that, with no previous criminal history, probation is expected.
That could mean a huge snag in his campaign schedule if he has to approve outside travel through a probation officer.