‘Shameful Political Stunt’: Trump Allies Go Off Following Guilty Verdict

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s allies rushed to his defense Thursday following the announcement of a guilty verdict in his criminal trial, blasting the entire process as a political sham.

“This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) posted online only moments after the jury made its decision public.

“The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden Administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents,” wrote Johnson, who early in the proceedings traveled to New York to support Trump .

Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Trump said what he’s been saying all along, claiming that the trial was “rigged” against him and the judge had been unfair. He also said President Joe Biden was behind the prosecution — but, as in the past, offered no evidence for that.

The flurry of quick responses underscored the knee-jerk support for Trump since he was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. There was no universe where the outcome stood to weaken his standing among congressional Republicans and key surrogates.

Kari Lake, a U.S. Senate candidate in Arizona who became one of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders during her failed gubernatorial campaign two years ago, called Trump’s trial “a shameful political stunt.”

“The star witness in this case was a convicted perjurer, whose testimony before the court was one of the most embarrassing debacles ever seen in a courtroom,” she said, referring to Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who provided key testimony in the case.

“This conviction should be immediately reversed upon appeal, and this legal