Local and state reps react to Trump verdict

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — With the news that Donald Trump has become the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes, local, state and federal representatives are sharing their reactions.

On Thursday, a New York jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex, Nexstar reported.

Congressman for the 34th District of Texas Vicente Gonzalez shared the following reaction with ValleyCentral.

"We have the best judicial system in the world and today that system did its job thoroughly and efficiently," Gonzalez wrote. "It's a sad day for our country when a presidential candidate is convicted on 34 felony counts."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott took to X to say the following:

"This was a sham show trial. The Kangaroo Court will never stand on appeal. Americans deserve better than a sitting U.S. President weaponizing our justice system against a political opponent— all to win an election. We must FIRE Joe Biden in November."

The Biden-Harris campaign issued the following statement in response to the news:

“In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law. Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president. The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator ‘on day one’ and calling for our Constitution to be ‘terminated’ so he can regain and keep power. A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans’ freedoms and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject it this November.”