NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana's congressional delegation didn't take long to weigh in on the verdict in the Donald Trump hush money trial.
The former president was convicted on all 34 counts he was facing by a 12-person jury in New York. Sentencing was set for July 11.
There is no consensus on what the verdict will mean for Trump as far as running for president.
"This was a disgrace. It was a rigged trial," said Trump.
Louisiana's Republican congressmen and senators followed Trump's lead in decrying the verdict, as did Republican Governor Jeff Landry.
Speaker Mike Johnson rapidly Tweeted out that "Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges...
Congressman Steve Scalise followed suit a short time later.
"Extremist Democrats have undermined democracy by weaponizing the courts to operate like a banana republic that targets their political opponents."
Representative Clay Higgins was short and to the point in his Tweet. "This perversion of justice will not stand. Trump will win on appeal and again in November."
The state's lone Democratic congressman, Troy Carter, countered those claims, saying that justice was served.
"This is a dark day for our country," said Republican Governor Jeff Landry. "I do have faith that the American people will not tolerate this."
Senator Bill Cassidy also said he disagreed with the verdict and some of what went on in the trial, but he had a more measured response in an email.
"Given the way the defense was conducted, the trial was managed, the jury was instructed, and the DA’s desire to fulfill a campaign promise, the guilty verdict was not surprising. The jury was led to believe that two misdemeanors make a felony and that a state court could enforce federal law. None of this seems right. The rule of law should apply equally to both parties. I disagree with the verdict," said Cassidy.
Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to a reality television star and, ultimately, president. As he seeks a return to the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behavior.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.