If political and government leaders throughout the Hudson Valley had reactions to the felony convictions of Donald Trump by a Manhattan jury, many initially kept their opinions to themselves rather than quickly issuing written statements or going before cameras and microphones.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, through his campaign organization as he runs to unseat Rep. Jamaal Bowman for New York’s 16th Congressional District, issued a statement saying, “In America, the principle of equal justice under law is applied to everyone, regardless of their status, wealth, or former political position. While this historic verdict reaffirms our commitment to the rule of law, justice, and democracy, Trump remains the most serious threat to our nation and our collective engagement in the upcoming election could not be more important. We must continue to stay the course, mobilize voters to elect representatives who will go to Washington to protect our democracy, fight against extremism and xenophobia, and produce real, tangible results to improve the lives of all working people regardless of their zip code.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that the 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.”
Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said, “No one is above the law. The verdict speaks for itself.”
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York claimed that the verdict “shows how corrupt, rigged, and unAmerican the weaponized justice system has become under Joe Biden and Democrats. I fully support President Trump appealing this decision and look forward to a higher New York Court to deliver justice and overturn this verdict. The facts are clear: this was a zombie case illegally brought forward by a corrupt prosecutor doing Joe Biden’s political bidding in a desperate attempt to save Joe Biden’s failing campaign.”
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, whose 17th Congressional District is in the Hudson Valley, sent a fundraising message that said, in part, “I’m sure you’ve heard about the GUILTY verdict rendered against President Trump. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat, Republican, or Independent – it’s a sad day for America. The willingness of hyperpartisan New York Democrats like Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and even Governor Kathy Hochul, to abuse their monopoly on power to wage political war on their enemies is downright frightening.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office prosecuted the case, told a news conference, “Over the course of the past several weeks, a jury of 12 every day New Yorkers was presented with overwhelming evidence – including invoices, checks, bank statements, audio recordings, phone logs, text messages, and direct testimony from 22 witnesses – that proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Trump illegally falsified 34 New York business records. Mr. Trump went to illegal lengths to lie repeatedly in order to protect himself and his campaign.”
During a news conference Friday morning at Trump Tower in which his rambling remarks touched on dozens of subjects, Trump said, “Nothing ever happened. It had to do with politics.”
In addition to reporters, Trump supporters were in the room and they frequently applauded and cheered for Trump.
He quoted Alvin Bragg as calling the case the most ridiculous, craziest case he had ever seen. Trump repeated his criticism of the judicial system and Judge Juan Merchan. He defended his former CFO Allen Weisselberg who pleaded guilty to perjury and tax evasion and was sentenced to jail twice. Trump claimed that he was “honored to be involved in it.” He said that he never thought of his former attorney Michael Cohen as a “fixer” and that everything Cohen did in connection with the payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels was “standard stuff.”
Trump said that the “good news” is that overnight his campaign received $37 million or $39 million in new contributions after the jury returned its guilty verdicts on all 34 felony counts. The Trump campaign put out an announcement saying it had received $34.5 million overnight. He also said that the British newspaper the Daily Mail conducted a new poll and in the hours since the verdict came in his standing went up and he leads President Biden by six points.
