CITIZENS NEWS

Texas AG Ken Paxton says Trump verdict is “dark and shameful day in American history”

By isabelle // 2024-05-31

Former President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies yesterday during a controversial trial in New York, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is describing the verdict as an “outright assault” on Trump and “every American who believes in justice and the rule of law.” The jury concluded that he illegally falsified business records to cover up a payment of $130,000 to an adult film star to keep quiet about an extramarital affair they had ahead of the 2016 elections. The verdict came after just two days of deliberations and marks the first time an American president has been found guilty of a crime. Paxton said in a statement released yesterday: “Today is a dark and shameful day in American history. The corrupt Biden administration, an unhinged Judge and the deceitful Manhattan District Attorney and the New York Attorney General have conspired in a grotesque abuse of power, revealing their true agenda: to destroy our democracy and the Republic for which it stands.” He added: “These cowardly, spineless political hacks have turned our justice system into a weapon, something you would expect in a third-world dictatorship, not the land of the free.” Paxton attended the trial in person in New York last month in a show of support, calling it a “sham” and a “travesty of justice” in a post on X about his visit.

Trump said he was considering asking Paxton to be U.S. Attorney General

Earlier this month, Trump told a reporter that he would consider asking Paxton to be the U.S. Attorney General should he secure a second term in the White House. “He’s very, very talented. I mean, we have a lot of people that want that one and will be very good at it. But he’s a very talented guy,” he said. Paxton has been a longtime supporter of Trump, carrying out a legal challenge to his presidential election loss that was ultimately unsuccessful, and speaking at a pro-Trump rally. He has also sued the Biden administration on numerous occasions over policies related to gender and immigration. In his statement, he vowed to continue fighting on Trump’s behalf, writing: “As Attorney General of Texas, I will unleash every tool at my disposal to fight this blatant corruption and political persecution spewing from New York and the Biden administration.” Trump used terms like “scam”, “rigged”, “disgraceful” and “very unfair” to describe his trial, and many people agreed. The case was based on a very questionable interpretation of the law, with some legal experts believing a misdemeanor would be more appropriate and others insisting there was no crime at all. On top of that, the judge on the case, Juan Merchan, had a huge conflict of interest as his daughter represents Democrat politicians and political action committees as the president of the digital marketing agency Authentic Campaigns. Merchan has also made donations to the Democratic party. Another concern that Trump’s team has had from the start is that it would be impossible to put together an unbiased jury in New York, which voted against him by an overwhelming margin in 2020. This could form the foundation of an appeal, with Trump noting: “They wouldn’t give us a venue change. This was done by the Biden administration in order to remove and to hurt opponents.” He will be sentenced on July 11, four days before he was expected to receive a formal nomination as the Republican party’s presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention. Sources for this article include: X.com TexasTribune.org

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