Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) urged his fellow Republican lawmakers to take former President Trump’s recent conviction in the New York hush-payment case seriously and consider what it means for the next election.
“In this case, 12 jurors appeared to be serious about seeking the truth, and all 12 of them unanimously found Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts. I don’t think this should be dismissed lightly,” Hutchinson said. said on Friday On NewsNation Now.
“The judge’s jury instructions can be challenged and may be overturned on appeal, but the decision of a jury that heard weeks of testimony should not be discounted. That’s the key point,” he added. “This is a critical moment for America. We should not celebrate the guilty verdict of a former president.”
His advice came after Trump on Thursday became the first former president to be convicted of a felony. He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels early in the 2016 election about an alleged affair, which Daniels denies.
The former president spoke in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on Friday, slamming Judge Juan Marchan’s ruling and calling the trial a “scam” and “rigged.”
Hutchinson said Republicans should be “very concerned” about how to handle a conviction.
“The Republican Party should be very concerned that we have a presumptive nominee who has been convicted of a serious felony. So I think that’s an important message to send,” he said Friday. “We have to be careful about how we approach this issue.”
The former governor, who ended his own White House bid in January, acknowledged that he did not agree with the lawsuit when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed it.
“I’m a former prosecutor and I know how to evaluate cases. It seemed far-fetched at first, but as the prosecution developed their case, it was clear they met the technical requirements of the law and presented an argument that a jury could understand,” Hutchinson said.
“So I was skeptical about it. I didn’t think it should be brought in, but it was brought in,” he added.
Trump’s allies in the party and contenders for the vice presidential spot have echoed the former president’s criticism of the case for weeks, with several candidates appearing in court. Following Thursday’s guilty verdict, they lashed out at the judge, the district attorney and the justice system.
Hutchinson opposed such efforts to solidify Trump’s support, arguing he doesn’t want to be in that position, adding that while a conviction might energize Trump’s base, he doesn’t believe the former president would gain any additional votes as a result.
“No Republican wants to go against Donald Trump, so when he says something crazy, everybody tries to support it, or at least not oppose it,” Hutchinson said. “That’s not how political parties work, and that’s not how you win elections, which is number one.”
“So we have to be more forthright. America will sort this out as it always does,” he added.
The former president won’t be sentenced in the case until July 11, just four days before he is scheduled to officially become the Republican presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention. A conviction would not bar him from running for president.
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