Florida lawmakers reacted swiftly to the news that former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all counts in his criminal hush money case in New York on Thursday.
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio called the verdict "a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice" in a post on X.
"A political show trial conducted by an openly pro-Biden judge whose daughter makes money off the case, a jury from the most liberal county in America, absurd and ridiculous charges and outrageous jury instructions that guaranteed guilty verdicts," Rubio continued. "Biden and the Trump deranged left will stop at nothing to remain in power."
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis also denounced the verdict.
"Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America—all in an effort to 'get' Donald Trump," DeSantis posted on X. "That this case—involving alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago—was even brought is a testament to the political debasement of the justice system in places like New York City. This is especially true considering this same district attorney routinely excuses criminal conduct in a way that has endangered law-abiding citizens in his jurisdiction."
DeSantis, who unsuccessfully ran against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, threw his support behind Trump in recent weeks.
"If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict," DeSantis posted Thursday. "In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court."
Florida's other Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who was one of several lawmakers who attended Trump's trial, also denounced the verdict.
"This was a sham trial and the clearest example we’ve ever seen of election interference. I am furious and no American is safe from Democrat political persecution," Scott posted on X. "Joe Biden and the Democrat machine manufactured a legal case against Trump to win an election. I went to New York to stand with President Trump and the American voters will stand with him this November."
Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from South Florida, also denounced the jury's decision.
"The case against former President Trump is an obvious 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."
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, a Democrat from South Florida, applauded the conviction.
"Today, we saw our justice system at work! No one is above the law, including the four-time indicted, twice impeached, insurrection inciter and now convicted felon, former President Donald Trump," Wilson said in a statement. "There was no witch hunt, no 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 come to this decision and President Trump deserves every damning punishment that comes with his charges of falsifying business records."
Rep. Matt Gaetz, another Florida Republican and Trump ally, made a brief post on X about the verdict.
"This verdict is the corrupt result of a corrupt trial, a corrupt judge, and a corrupt DA," he posted. "We will stand with President Trump now more than ever to save the country."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, also applauding the convicting, posted on X, "not even ex-presidents are above the law."
“A jury of Trump’s peers heard the facts and were clear: no one is above our laws. No matter what Trump says, a jury determined the facts in this case were clear beyond a reasonable doubt," she said in an additional statement. "Yet like any felon, he can appeal this conviction. But for a man who used fraud to try to influence the outcome and then tried to overturn a fair election and consistently disregards the law, this ruling is no surprise. And it affirms that the rich and powerful – and even ex-presidents – still face accountability in America."
