Some Republicans have indicated they support Donald Trump's guilty verdict in his hush money case.
On Thursday, Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records over $130,0000 payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair between them secret ahead of the 2016 election. Trump had denied any wrongdoing and had claimed the case was politically motivated.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, former Maryland governor and Trump critic Larry Hogan suggested that he would support a guilty verdict in the case. He wrote the post after the jury announced they had reached a verdict but before it was announced they had found Trump guilty.
Hogan said: "Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process. At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law."
In response to the post, Adam Kinzinger, a former Illinois representative and a vocal critic of Trump wrote: "By far the best Republican response I have seen. Respect for the system we all rely on, what a noble concept."
Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton wrote: "Today's verdict is a fire-bell in the night. The Republican Party now has one last chance to change course, and not nominate a convicted felon for President."
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson suggested that while he did not agree with the verdict, it should be respected.
"It is not easy to see a former President and the presumptive GOP nominee convicted of felony crimes; but the jury verdict should be respected," he wrote on X. "An appeal is in order but let's not diminish the significance of this verdict."
An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted from April 25 to 30 found that 1 in 5 Trump supporters would reconsider or withdraw their support for Trump in the case of a guilty verdict. The sample size of the subgroup of Trump supporters was 937 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4.
Meanwhile, Bronwen Brown, a registered Republican in Pennsylvania, told Reuters the guilty verdict had made her change her mind about voting for Trump.
"He's been found guilty on all 34 counts. Do I want to go with that? Probably not," she said.
"I may be moving over to [Joe] Biden," she added.
Newsweek contacted a representative for Trump by email outside of business hours to comment on this story.
However, Trump also received support from some Republicans. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called Thursday "a shameful day in American history."
Trump will be sentenced by the judge overseeing the case, Judge Juan Merchan, on July 11 and could face substantial fines or jail time.
However, Trump's legal team has already indicated plans to appeal the verdict.
"This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," Trump said outside the courtroom following the verdict.
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Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more
