The historic verdict marked the first felony conviction of a former U.S. president, and drew a flurry of public outrage from two of Utah’s all-Republican congressional delegation. So far, no one has been as vocal as Mike Lee, Utah’s senior senator, who made 12 social media posts in the hour following the verdict.
“Welcome to the Banana Republic of America,” “Is this an insurrection?” “I don’t respect this verdict. Nor should anyone,” and “What they’re doing to him is wrong,” Lee wrote in separate X posts, adding that the verdict “guaranteed Trump’s election.”
In an official statement, Lee said Thursday was a “sad day for America.”
“The verdict against Donald Trump, marred by unclear charges and irregular jury instructions, sets a dangerous precedent. This was a political prosecution to help Joe Biden, a weaponization of our justice system that threatens the very fabric of our Republic,” Lee said.
Utah GOP Rep. Burgess Owens also took to social media, where he called the country’s justice system “a two-tiered sham.”
“The American people know this crooked case was never about the rule of law, but a political witch-hunt perpetrated against the Democrat’s top political opponent, President Trump,” Owens wrote.
In Utah, a number of state politicians and candidates also took to social media, with Democrats suggesting the verdict delivered justice, while Republicans mostly echoed the sentiments from Lee and Owens.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has for months criticized the charges and on Thursday reaffirmed his opinion that the case was “deeply problematic.”
“The DA further used a novel legal theory to turn misdemeanors into felonies. No one is above the law, but in this case I believe the indictment was a mistake and should have never been brought forward. This outcome is a dark day for our country,” Cox said in a statement.
Salt Lake City Democrat and gubernatorial candidate Rep. Brian King said in a statement that Thursday’s conviction “reaffirms the importance of our judicial system. Beyond the verdict itself, the process demonstrates the validity of our system of justice.”
“Many Utahns feel abandoned by their political party, experiencing a sense of political homelessness. This conviction will mark a critical point for many in our state. If you voted for former President Trump in 2016 or 2020, but find this conviction to be your tipping point, know that you are not alone,” said King. “I invite you to join our coalition of pragmatists — individuals seeking trustworthy leadership that strives to improve our lives, rather than perpetuating chaos and uncertainty.”
As of Thursday evening, Reps. Celeste Maloy, Blake Moore and John Curtis had not made public statements regarding the verdict. Nor had outgoing Sen. Mitt Romney, who has been a thorn in Trump’s side but has been skeptical of the trial. In an interview with MSNBC earlier this month, Romney said Biden made an “enormous error” not pardoning the former president, a move that would have given Biden the upper hand.
However, candidates vying for Romney’s soon-to-be-empty Senate seat waded into the discourse on X — Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, who Trump endorsed, called the conviction “the single, most vivid example of election fraud in our country’s history.”
And former Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson said the verdict “makes a mockery of our criminal justice system,” calling it “an attempt to interfere with the American people’s right to decide for themselves who our next President should be.”
Trump was charged by New York prosecutors in connection with a number of invoices, checks and ledger entries related to reimbursements to his former attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen told the court he wired $130,000 to adult actress Stormy Daniels leading up to the 2016 election in hush money payments to keep her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump.
Trump is also facing three additional criminal cases in Washington, D.C., Florida and Georgia.
You can find the full story at the Utah News Dispatch.
