News: To give you a sense of what Hill Republicans are focused on this morning — The NRCC had its best online fundraising day of the cycle Thursday in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in the New York City hush-money case.
By late Thursday night, the NRCC had raised $300,000, surpassing the $175,000 it raised on the day Mike Johnson was elected speaker of the House.
This is the kind of argument you’ll hear from Republicans over the next few weeks and months. That Trump’s legal problems — which now include this stunning conviction in New York City — will actually boost Republican support and solidify the base around not only the former president but GOP candidates and incumbents up and down the ticket.
An angry voter is a motivated voter. That’s the GOP’s argument. And Trump and his supporters are very angry following the blockbuster verdict.
Yet consider this:
→ Hundreds of House and Senate candidates are running for reelection with a convicted felon at the top of the ticket. The Biden-Harris campaign and every pro-Democratic group in the country are going to remind voters of this each day between now and Nov. 5.
→ Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, only 41 days away.
→ The Republican convention kicks off in Milwaukee on July 15.
Trump will speak today at 11 a.m. at Trump Tower in New York.
In the Capitol: There will be a huge impact on Capitol Hill. We’re beginning to see signals that Republican lawmakers will be out for revenge when they return to town next week.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a die-hard Trump backer, called the verdict a “travesty of justice.” Jordan has already opened a probe into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. There will be more action from the panel on this front.
We’d also expect to see a reaction out of the House Oversight Committee, which is in charge of the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. This doesn’t necessarily change the dynamics of impeachment, but it makes a criminal referral against Biden more likely
One other note — Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges is scheduled to begin Monday.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has demanded Johnson use the House Republicans’ power over federal spending to try to limit or defund Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into the former president. That’s certain to ramp up. “Republican leaders – if ever a time to step up, it’s now,” tweeted Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), a House Freedom Caucus member who also serves on the Appropriations and Oversight panels.
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) said on X that “Red State AGs and DAs” should “get busy” after the verdict.
The reaction from Senate Republicans was slightly more muted, although those Republicans hoping to be Trump’s VP went full bore. Senate Minority Whip John Thune said the case “was politically motivated from the beginning,” while Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called on Republicans to rally around Trump: “The real verdict will be on Election Day.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, no Trump fan, simply said this: “These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal.”
But Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who wants to be Trump’s VP, released an angry video declaring the decision “erodes the confidence that Americans have in the justice system.” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — echoing a line from many on the right — claimed the verdict “isn’t justice, it’s election interference.” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has filed multiple misconduct complaints against Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case.
A final point worth paying attention to: You’re either all in for Trump or you’re against him. His camp is watching everything every Republican says very closely and is ready to pounce on any sign of perceived weakness or disloyalty.
For example, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, the GOP’s Senate nominee in the Free State, put out a statement calling on “All Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process.”
That wasn’t good enough for Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita: “You just ended your campaign.”
There’s no middle ground for Republicans on Trump. There never has been and there never will be. This is the “Ride or Die” campaign for president.
The Coverage:
NYT: Political Memo: “Trump Had Good Fortune So Far With His Four Cases. Then Came a Verdict,” by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan
WaPo: “A ‘very innocent man’ stares down being convicted and becoming a felon,” Isaac Arnsdorf, Josh Dawsey and Marianne LeVine in New York
Bloomberg: “Wall Street Scans for Potential Volatility After Trump Verdict,” by Sydney Maki, Carter Johnson and Denitsa Tsekova
AP: “Shares in Trump Media slump after former president convicted in hush money trial,” by Michelle Chapman
Politico: “Trump campaign warns GOP candidates not to fundraise off Trump’s conviction,” by Alex Isenstadt
