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Civics & Democracy

Trump Verdict Reactions: SoCal Democrat And Republican Elected Officials Dig In

Two men wearing navy blue suits are standing in front of a silver bike rack, with a crowd of people out of focus behind them. The man on the left is wearing a brighter blue tie and an American flag pin, with his mouth slightly agape. The man on the right is wearing a lavender tie, holding a stack of paper, and has a stern expression on his face.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump gives brief remarks alongside his attorney after the conclusion of his hush money trial on May 30, 2024, in New York City.
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Democrat and Republican representatives in Southern California largely fell along party lines Thursday as they reacted to former President Donald Trump being found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Trump is still scheduled to hold campaign fundraising events on June 7 in Beverly Hills and the next day in Newport Beach. That’s about a month before he’s set to be sentenced in New York, which is just a few days before the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin, where the party will officially tap their presidential nominee.

Congressional Republicans

The response from Republican representatives wasn’t as robust, at least not at first.

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Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents Murrieta and Temecula, wrote on X that the Trump “trial and verdict are a disgrace.”

Republican Representatives Young Kim, Michelle Steel, and Ken Calvert didn’t immediately comment or share a statement.

Congressional Democrats

Rep. Robert Garcia, who represents Long Beach and Huntington Park, said in a statement that no one, not even a former president, is above the law.

“These guilty verdicts confirms what we have long known – Donald Trump is a con man and a criminal who has consistently exploited our country for his own personal gain,” Garcia said in a statement posted to X.

Senate candidate and Rep. Adam Schiff, whose district extends from West Hollywood to Pasadena, wrote on X that the rule of law prevailed.

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“Guilty,” Schiff wrote. “Today, twelve ordinary American citizens found a former president guilty of dozens of felonies. Despite his efforts to distract, delay, and deny – justice arrived for Donald Trump all the same.”

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who represents Eagle Rock and Little Tokyo, wrote on X that Trump received a fair trial.

“A jury of his peers — not his political opponents — weighed the evidence and believe there was enough to convict him,” he wrote. “No grand conspiracy, only the truth: Trump is a criminal.”

Rep. Judy Chu, who represents Monterey Park and Rosemead, wrote that our legal system worked as intended.

“A jury of Trump's peers, everyday Americans, weighed evidence & found him guilty of falsifying business records to keep voters in the dark in 2016,” Chu said.

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