Rep Byron Donalds urges US Supreme Court to 'step in' on Donald Trump's NY hush money conviction
WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Byron Donalds (R-Fla) urged the US Supreme Court to take up the federal hush-money case of former President Donald Trump, during his appearance on NBC News’ 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, June 16.
During his interview, the Congressman supported Speaker Mike Johnson, who had recently told Fox News following the former president's conviction last month, "There are many developments yet to come, but I believe the Supreme Court should intervene. Obviously, this is totally unprecedented."
The status of Donald Trump's hush money case
On May 30, a 12-member jury in Manhattan Criminal Court unanimously found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. This historic verdict marked the first time a former President of the United States was convicted of a crime.
The penalties Trump may face include fines and up to four years in prison for each count. The presumptive GOP nominee is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention.
Trump's lawyers can appeal the judgment only after his sentencing.
Why does Byron Donalds want the Supreme Court to interfere?
While speaking with host Peter Alexander on Sunday, the Congressman cited the lengthy appellate process in New York as a reason why the Supreme Court should intervene earlier.
"This is being done for political purposes. Everybody knows how the court system works in New York," he stated. "The only ability for this to be overturned is going to be happening two or three years from now."
“That’s why what happened in lower Manhattan was to interfere with an election,” he added.
Byron Donalds also wants the Congress to step in
Earlier in the conversation, Donalds stated that Congress should take a stand against the conviction of the former President, even though Speaker Mike Johnson did not have the authority to overturn the verdict.
“Congress does fund a lot of jurisdictions around the country, and if there is a jurisdiction that takes federal money and it does not also protect the constitutional rights of all Americans, whether that’s President Trump or any other American, they shouldn’t receive federal funds,” he asserted.
“I think that’s something that every American would agree with, and you do have to understand President Trump’s frustration,” he continued. “What happened in lower Manhattan was a violation of his constitutional rights. They didn’t even identify the ‘crime’ quote, unquote, until the very end of the process, which is a violation of constitutional norms. Judge Merchan did not do that. And so yes, he’s frustrated. Any American would be frustrated.”
