House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday slammed President-elect Donald Trump's conviction and sentencing in New York on felony charges of falsifying business records as a "politically motivated and contrived witch hunt" and applauded Trump's plans to appeal the case.
"This entire case against President Trump has been a politically motivated and contrived witch hunt aimed solely at preventing him from returning to the White House," Johnson, R-La., said in a statement. "It was never about the facts, and it should have never been brought in the first place."
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan formally sentenced Trump Friday to an unconditional discharge, meaning he will serve no time or be ordered to pay any fines.
Trump was charged with 34 felonies and convicted on all counts after a trial that continued for nearly two months.
The outcome cemented the conviction while freeing Trump to return to the White House on Jan. 20 while not being under the threat of imprisonment or fines.
Johnson accused Merchan of having "grossly perverted the American legal system" by "manipulating existing law in a purely partisan effort to convert a bogus misdemeanor charge into a felony."
Johnson added that Merchan "and the deranged prosecution have done untold damage to our justice system."
The American people, "the only jury that matters" saw through the "corruption of justice, spoke decisively and rejected their weaponization of government," Johnson said.
"After four years of lawfare, restoring the American people's trust in our system of justice will be critically important, and I support President Trump's decision to appeal this decision and put this shameful chapter in American history behind us," he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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