Trump allies signal they’re declaring war against Republican Senate candidate

The Trump-aligned wing of the GOP is signaling an impending assault against Republican US Senate candidate Larry Hogan, adding a wrinkle to the battle for control of the upper chamber of Congress.

Formerly the two-term governor of Maryland, a decidedly blue state, Hogan has never been an ally of Donald Trump. He supported both impeachment inquiries into the ex-president, distinguishing himself as a member of a small minority of his party’s elected officials. The ex-governor also issued a scathing condemnation of the Republican then-president after January 6, during which he sent Maryland police to aid law enforcement at the US Capitol.

But it was his statement released on X ahead of the conviction of Trump on 34 felony counts in New York this past week that triggered promises of revenge from two high-ranking members of the former president’s inner circle.

Trump was found guilty on Thursday by a jury of 34 felony counts relating to a hush money scheme concocted during the height of the 2016 election. His ex-attorney, Michael Cohen, carried out the effort in which a porn star was paid off to ensure that her story of an affair with Trump was not made public during the presidential campaign. Prosecutors called this effort an illegal attempt to benefit his White House bid.

Hogan released a statement in which he called for both sides to respect the process and the nonpartisan nature of the US criminal court system ahead of the verdict’s announcement.

“Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process,” wrote Hogan. “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