New York Gov. Kathy Hochul Suggests Trump Pardon Off The Table

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), the sole person with the power to pardon former President Donald Trump for his felony convictions, signaled Thursday evening that she would not consider such a move.

“Today’s verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law,” Hochul said in a statement.

“In preparation for a verdict in this trial, I directed my Administration to closely coordinate with local and federal law enforcement and we continue to monitor the situation,” she added. “We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system.”

A Manhattan jury convicted Trump on Thursday of all 34 felony charges of falsifying business documents to cover up hush money payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Trump, now the first U.S. president to be convicted of a felony, plans to appeal the verdict.

Since Trump was convicted of violating state law, not federal law, he cannot pardon himself if he is re-elected to the White House this November.

Rep. Nick LaLota, a Long Island Republican, called upon Hochul to pardon Trump shortly before Hochul issued her statement expressing her view that the verdict was just.

“The best way to unwind Alvin Bragg’s political prosecution and today’s conviction is for Governor Hochul to immediately announce her intention to pardon President Trump and pre-emptively commute any sentence,” LaLota wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “To not do so is to allow America to become a banana republic.”

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