MIAMI.- Florida lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, reacted differently to the news that former President Donald Trump was found guilty in his court case in New York on Thursday.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio called the verdict in a post on X “a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our justice system.”
Rubio added: “A spectacle impeachment trial conducted by an openly pro-Biden judge whose daughter benefits financially from the case, a jury from the most liberal county in America, absurd and ridiculous charges, and outrageous jury instructions that guaranteed guilty verdicts.” “Biden and Trump’s deranged left will stop at nothing to stay in power.”
Likewise, Florida’s second senator, fellow Republican Rick Scott, who attended Trump’s trial, criticized the jury’s decision and said he felt “furious.”
“This was a sham trial and the clearest example we have ever seen of election interference. I am furious and no American is safe from Democratic political persecution,” Scott posted on X. “Joe Biden and the Democratic machine fabricated a legal case against Trump to win an election. I went to New York to support President Trump and American voters will support him this November.”
For his part, the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, also denounced the verdict.
“Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has bowed to the political will of the actors involved: a left-wing prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury that reflects one of the most liberal enclaves in the United States, all in an effort to ‘get’ Donald Trump,” DeSantis posted on X.
“The fact that this case, involving alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago, was even brought is a testament to the political degradation of the justice system in places like New York City. It is especially true considering this same district attorney routinely excuses criminal conduct in a manner that has endangered law-abiding citizens in his jurisdiction,” he added.
The wave of reactions also included Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, Republican of South Florida, who questioned the jury’s determination.
“The case against former President Trump is a blatant and blatant travesty of justice and a political witch hunt,” he wrote on X. “This is a direct threat to our democracy. This case should never have seen the light of day.”
For her part, Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar said in X: “Today is a deeply sad day in the history of the United States. As in a Banana Republic, the judicial system was politicized against a presidential candidate. This is unacceptable!”
Salazar added that “the American people understand the significance of this great injustice and will respond at the polls this November.”
Democratic opinions
On the Democratic side, South Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson applauded the conviction, who put into context that “no one is above the law.”
“Today we saw our justice system at work! No one is above the law, including former President Donald Trump, four times impeached, twice indicted, inciting insurrection and now a convicted felon,” Wilson said in a statement.
“There was no witch hunt or foul play, just the impartial application of justice that treats everyone equally, regardless of who they are. I applaud the jurors for working tirelessly to reach this decision and President Trump deserves every damning punishment.” that their charges of falsifying commercial records entail,” the legislator said in another publication.
Similarly, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz was in favor of the conviction in a publication on X.
“Not even former presidents are above the law,” Wasserman Schultz said. “A jury of Trump’s peers heard the facts and was clear: No one is above our laws. No matter what Trump says, a jury determined that the facts in this case were clear beyond a reasonable doubt.”
