In an unprecedented event, former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his New York hush money trial Thursday afternoon. The former president was convicted of falsifying business records to hide a hush money payment to p*rn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He is the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
Prosecutors alleged that Trump falsified records to conceal unlawfully interfering with the 2016 presidential election through a $130,000 hush money payment. The crime carries a penalty of up to four years in prison, but Trump is likely to get a shorter sentence or only probation, according to USA Today reporting. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11. He is expected to appeal the verdict.
Following the verdict, several Missouri politicians took to social media to share their thoughts on the six-week trial, with comments falling along predictably partisan lines.
Sen. Josh Hawley, one of two Republicans representing Missouri in the U.S. Senate, shared his thoughts in five posts to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
"This 'trial' has been from beginning to end a complete and total sham, a mockery of the criminal justice system, and one of the most dangerous abuses of our political process in American history," Hawley wrote in one post.
"They will regret this," he wrote in another.
U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, who represents Missouri's 7th district (Springfield, Joplin and Branson), did not directly comment on the conviction but rather posted a meme to X on Friday morning. The meme, which depicts Trump wearing a three-piece suit against a rural backdrop reads, "You tell 'em I'm comin' ... and the American people are comin' with me."
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also took to X to express his frustrations with the verdict, calling the trial a "witch-hunt prosecution" that resulted in an "illegal conviction."
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt also weighed in on the verdict, describing it as a "travesty for the rule of law and our Constitution."
"Democrats have opened Pandora's Box and have fully weaponized the judicial process against President Trump — this was a Soviet-style show trial of Joe Biden's chief political adversary that has irreparably cheapened the American judicial system," Schmitt said in a news release. "President Trump will be vindicated on appeal and the American people will reject this unprecedentedlawfare in November."
Candidate for governor shares thoughts in social media video
Sen. Bill Eigel, who is running for Missouri governor this year, made three posts to X about the verdict, one of which is a 44-second video.
"This is a dark day in America. The president (Trump) has done nothing wrong," Eigel says in the video. "These charges are absolutely false and are only being directed his way because the swamp in Washington D.C. is terrified that the guy that actually cares about us the most might win the presidency again. If you're like me, I hope you're fired up."
Eigel also jumped aboard the meme bandwagon, sharing a black and white photo of Trump with the phrase, "Guilty of Patriotism."
Here's what Missouri Democrats had to say about the Trump verdict
Missouri Democrats, meanwhile, were less quick to air opinions on social media.
When asked about the verdict Friday, Rep. Stephanie Hein, who represents Missouri's 136th District in southeast Springfield, told the News-Leader she finds it important to "trust the jury."
"I feel like we need to respect the work the jury did," Hein said. "These were citizens who were selected to serve on in that trial and at this point, that's the best we can do — just trust the process in what has unfolded."
Springfield Rep. Crystal Quade, who represents Missouri's 132nd District and serves as the state's minority leader, wants to change the narrative altogether.
"I believe in our legal system, but I’m more focused on how we can help Missourians struggling between paying their utilities or putting food on the table, not D.C. or New York," Quade told the News-Leader in an email statement.
Can Donald Trump still run for president?
On Friday morning, Trump spoke at a press conference in New York, criticizing the verdict in similar terms he has used throughout the process.
"This is a case where, if they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone. These are bad people," he said. "These are, in many cases I believe, sick people."
More:Donald Trump found guilty on all counts in historic NY hush money trial: Recap
Despite being under a gag order, a legal order that restricts public discussion about a court case, Trump talked at length about his trial during the press conference. Perhaps most notably he criticized Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial.
Though he has been convicted, Trump is not disqualified from running for presidential office this fall.
The U.S. Constitution lists only three necessary qualifications for being president: the candidate must be a "natural born" citizen, at least 35 years old and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. Trump meets all those criteria.
Greta Cross is the trending topicsreporter for the SpringfieldNews-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her onX and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her atgcross@news-leader.com.
