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On Thursday, May 30, former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges for falsifying business records in his “hush money” trial in Manhattan.

In the 24 hours following Trump’s conviction, politicians representing the city of Syracuse, the broader central New York region and the state have issued responses to the verdict, mostly along party lines.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has previously spoken out against the former president, released a statement later Thursday evening after the jury reached its verdict.

“Today’s verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law,” Hochul said. “We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system.”

Hochul’s release also says her administration collaborated with local and federal law enforcement ahead of the verdict to ensure community safety.

The Daily Orange has compiled the responses of several other politicians representing central New York regarding Thursday’s verdict.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, who ran for the position in 2017 as an Independent, wrote in a statement to The D.O. that he respects the decision of the jury, citing his belief in the justice system.

“Donald Trump faced a jury of his peers and was afforded the same procedures and protections available to any defendant. That same system assures him the right to appeal,” Walsh wrote.

While Walsh is not affiliated with a political party, he previously endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. At the time, Walsh told syracuse.com that he believed Trump was on the “wrong side” of multiple ongoing political issues, including racial divisions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, expressed support for the jury’s verdict against Trump. Schumer, the senate majority leader, first took to social media to support the conviction.

“No one is above the law. The verdict speaks for itself,” Schumer posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday night.

Schumer made two additional posts regarding Trump’s conviction Friday afternoon regarding the former president’s engagement with the legal system. He also wrote in an official statement sent to The D.O. Friday that he encourages the community to “let (Trump’s legal) process move forward according to the law.”

“The undeniable fact is Donald Trump went through the same legal process that all Americans go through, he was tried according to the facts and the law, and he was found guilty by a jury of his peers. He’s now a convicted felon,” Schumer’s Friday statement reads.

Gillibrand has represented New York in the Senate since 2009 and will be up for reelection in November. In the past, the senator has criticized Trump for making comments about her on social media that she said were sexist.

“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,” Gillibrand wrote in a statement sent to The D.O.

In the upcoming 2024 general elections, incumbent Gillibrand will run against Mike Sapraicone, a former New York Police Department detective, to represent New York in the U.S. Senate. Trump previously endorsed Sapraicone in a statement published to Truth Social, his social media platform, on March 2.

Sapraicone has continued to support Trump since the endorsement. He released a statement against the guilty verdict on Thursday.

“Today is a shameful day for America. The verdict demonstrates the weaponized (un)justice system used by democrats to try and stop the leader of the opposing party. Democrats cheer for Bragg and his sham trial, but say nothing as he fails to provide actual justice for countless crime victims across Manhattan,” Sapraicone’s statement read.

Rep. Brandon Williams, a Republican who represents New York’s 22nd district in the U.S. House of Representatives, responded shortly after Trump’s conviction Thursday, calling the justice system “two-tiered” in an X post around 6 p.m. that evening. Williams accused “far-left extremists” of influencing the justice system in his post.

The two Democratic candidates seeking to run against Williams for the NY-22 seat, State Senator John Mannion and DeWitt Councilor Sarah Klee Hood, did not immediately respond to The D.O.’s requests for comment.

Echoing Sapraicone, Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21), a Republican, said the verdict reflects “how corrupt, rigged, and unAmerican the weaponized justice system has become under Joe Biden and Democrats (sic),” in a statement sent to The D.O. hours after the verdict.

Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24) said she was “appalled” by how New York County Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over Trump’s trial, handled the case. Citing her background as the daughter of a New York State Supreme Court Justice and member of the state’s Bar Association, she claimed that Merchan’s verdict displayed a “politically motivated” bias.

“(Merchan) imposed unnecessary and unconstitutional gag orders on President Trump, effectively silencing him and hindering his ability to campaign freely,” Tenney said in the release. “Judge Merchan engaged in obvious and unethical bias in a rush to get a guilty verdict, not to ensure justice under the law.”

Having obtained the Republican nomination in March, Trump will likely face Biden again in the 2024 election. A Thursday poll by Emerson College Polling/The Hill/PIX11 showed Biden leading in New York state by about seven percentage points.

If Trump wins the presidency, he will be unable to pardon himself of the felonies due to his conviction originating in a New York state court, The Washington Post reported. Hochul, who has the sole ability to pardon the former president, has not said whether or not she would do so, but “signaled Thursday evening that she would not consider such a move,” HuffPost reported.

News Editor Julia Boehning contributed reporting to this article.

Published on May 31, 2024 at 9:38 pm

Contact Zaara: zamalik@syr.edu