Top Mississippi leaders are reacting after a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records as part of an illegal scheme to affect the outcome of the 2016 election using hush-money payments.
The verdict, which 12 jurors who began deliberations on Wednesday delivered unanimously late Thursday afternoon, made Trump the first former president in U.S. history to become a convicted felon. In the hours since, Trump has vowed to appeal the conviction and spread baseless claims about a “rigged” trial, much as he claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” after he lost to Joe Biden.
Despite the unanimous guilty verdicts on all 34 charges, all Republicans who have spoken out so far have vowed to continue to support Trump, with the exception of Mississippi Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula.
Below are the responses so far from Mississippi leaders. We will update the list as more reactions come in.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican
“This prosecution has been an outrageous perversion of our system of justice. Unless reversed, it could set a disturbing precedent in which our courts are weaponized by one party against the other. Today is a dark day for the rule of law.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: Wicker is Mississippi’s senior U.S. senator and is up for reelection in the November 2024 general election; his opponent is Democrat Ty Pinkins. He did not vote for Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election and cling to power in January 2021, but did vote to acquit him in both his 2020 and 2021 impeachment trials.
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican
“This has always been a politically-motivated sham prosecution. I am confident this injustice will be overturned on appeal. The American people see straight through this blatant attempt to influence an election by weaponizing our legal system. Democrats can’t win on their failed policies, so they’re doing everything imaginable to distract focus away from Biden’s incompetence. It won’t work, and I look forward to seeing President Trump sworn in again next January.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: In 2021, Hyde-Smith supported Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and cling to power after he lost to Joe Biden. She also voted to acquit Trump in both his 2020 and 2021 impeachment trials.
Ty Pinkins, Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate
“Today marks a significant and troubling moment in our nation’s history. With the conviction of Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, it is clear that no one is above the law. This is a reminder of the critical importance of integrity and accountability in our leaders. Unfortunately, Senator Roger Wicker has chosen to embrace, endorse, and enable Donald Trump despite overwhelming evidence of his wrongdoing. This is a betrayal of the trust that Mississippians place in their elected officials. By aligning himself with a convicted felon, Senator Wicker has shown a blatant disregard for the values of justice and integrity that we hold dear.” (Source: statement)
Context: Pinkins is the Democratic nominee who is challenging U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker for his seat in the November election.
U.S. House Rep. Trent Kelly, Republican
“The verdict against President Trump is a travesty! This action moves us one step closer to becoming something less than a democracy. This political prosecution is a mockery of the American Constitution, and a miscarriage of justice. As a former district attorney and prosecutor, I am sickened by the lack of honesty, professionalism, and integrity by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Many reversible errors were committed during the trial, and the public’s faith in the judicial system has been shaken.” (Source: Facebook)
Context: Kelly serves Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District. In 2021, Kelly supported Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and cling to power after he lost to Joe Biden. He voted against impeaching Trump in 2019 and 2021. Kelly did not specify any of the “reversible errors” he claims “were committed during the trial.”
After the 2019 impeachment over Trump’s attempt to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into launching a sham investigation into Joe Biden, Kelly also invoked his history as a prosecutor. “As a former prosecutor, I find it insulting that my colleagues have built a case on second hand accounts, editorials, and opinions,” he said on Dec. 19, 2019.
U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democrat
“Today’s verdict confirms what we have always known: Donald Trump is a criminal who thinks nothing of breaking the law, or our Constitution, to get what he wants. No one, especially an ex-President, is above the law.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: Thompson serves Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. He led the January 6th Committee, which in 2022 referred Trump to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. That case is pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision on Trump’s claims of presidential immunity. Thompson voted to impeach Trump in 2019 and 2021.
U.S. House Rep. Michael Guest, Republican
“Former President Donald Trump was convicted today on charges that were politically motivated and the evidence presented against him did not arise to the level of reasonable doubt. All Americans are entitled to a fair trial brought by an impartial prosecutor. President Trump was not afforded these fundamental protections and his conviction should be overturned.” (Source: statement)
Context: Guest serves Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District. In 2021, Guest supported Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and cling to power after he lost to Joe Biden. He voted against impeaching Trump in 2019 and 2021.
U.S. House Rep. Mike Ezell, Republican
“Today’s verdict—and this entire trial—was based in politics, not the law. The Biden Admin. and their allies continue to weaponize our justice system against their political enemies. I look forward to seeing this ridiculous, partisan verdict quickly appealed and overturned.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: Ezell represents Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District; he took office in Janaury 2023, after defeating incumbent Rep. Steven Palazzo in a Republican primary. Neither President Joe Biden nor any other federal officials or federal prosecutors were involved in Trump’s case in New York. State prosecutors brought the charges and a jury composed of registered voters in New York delivered the verdict after weeks of testimony in a Manhattan courtroom.
Gov. Tate Reeves, Republican
“The lawless conviction of President Donald Trump only reflects the desperation of President Biden and the corrupt methods he will use to steal this election. I am confident that justice will prevail, and the people of America will not reward the leftwing wannabe dictators abusing our justice system in November. Make America Great Again!” (Source: Twitter)
Context: Neither President Joe Biden nor any other federal officials or federal prosecutors were involved in Trump’s case in New York. State prosecutors brought the charges and a jury composed of registered voters in New York delivered the verdict after weeks of testimony in a Manhattan courtroom.
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Republican
“The election is in November. The voters will make the final decision on our President, who will be Donald Trump.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: The election is on Nov. 5, 2024. Trump is expected to become his party’s official presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention, which begins on July 15, 2024—four days after he is set to be sentenced in New York.
When he was secretary of state, Hosemann once told Trump’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Election Integrity to “go jump in the Gulf” when they sought information on all Mississippi voters. Last year, in his reelection bid for lieutenant governor, Hosemann held a fundraiser at Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla., resort, Mar-a-Lago.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Republican
“In a New York courtroom, the American legal system was manipulated for political gain, and weaponized against former President Trump. This trial only emphasizes the profound partisan divide in the United States, and its outcome sets a concerning precedent for future proceedings. I have faith in the rule of law and expect that on appeal justice will prevail even against this brash manipulation.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: After the 2020 election, Fitch declined to acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory and joined a failed federal lawsuit attempting to overturn the voters’ choice in four battleground states that Biden won.
Secretary of State Michael Watson, Republican
“If they can do it to DJT, they can do it to you. As an aside, if any businesses are looking to get out of NY, our tax structure and regulatory reform measures have Mississippi on the rise. Come on down!” (Source: Twitter)
Context: As Mississippi’s secretary of state, Watson oversees state elections and state businesses. Trump’s conviction rested on falsified business documents.
As secretary of state and Mississippi’s top election official, Watson is the only Republican statewide leader who has not formally endorsed Trump this year. In 2021, he joined Trump for a golfing trip to Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
State Auditor Shad White, Republican
“Democrats love to talk about how important democracy is, but today we saw a justice system weaponized to undermine democracy. What a travesty. Make America Great Again.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: After the verdict, Republicans across the country repeated a similar claim that the justice system had been “weaponized” against Trump. The former president faces another state trial in Georgia and two federal trials.
White has gained national notice in recent years after his office began the investigation that uncovered Mississippi’s massive $77 million welfare scandal in which millions in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families were misspent.
State Treasurer David McRae, Republican
“I stand with Trump. #Trump2024” (Source: Twitter)
Context: McRae endorsed Trump for reelection in November 2023, citing economic issues and arguing that “under his leadership in 2024 and beyond, America can be made great again.”
In December 2023, he joined the Trump 2024 Mississippi State Leadership Team, calling him “a candidate who will put America First and fight each and every day for the hardworking citizens that make this country great.”
Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, Republican
“Liberals are coming after conservatives, but I still stand with President Donald J. Trump. Join me in praying for him as he appeals the verdict from a rigged and politically-motivated witch hunt of the New York trial. We the voters will have the last word.” (Source: Twitter)
Context: There is no basis for claims of a “rigged” trial or jury. Both New York state prosecutors and Trump’s legal team took part in selecting the jury, whose members did not seek to be on Trump’s trial and were selected as prospective jurors for jury duty at random.
Mississippi State Sen. Brice Wiggins, Republican
“All jurors deserve thanks and respect. They are the foundation of the best judicial system in the world (though not perfect). The @GOP @MSGOP leadership has a lot of soul searching to do. #convictedfelon” (Source: Twitter)
Context: Wiggins is a Republican from Pascagoula and represents Mississippi State Senate District 52. Unlike most Mississippi Republicans, he has been openly critical of Trump in the past, including for a raft of pardons the ex-president delivered to political allies and friends before leaving office.
Mississippi State Sen. Jeremy England, Republican
“Legal ‘experts’ are about to flood Facebook now that the Trump trial verdict is in discussing why they agree or disagree with the jury. I’m not a criminal lawyer, so I can’t offer much to what happened or is yet to happen. But I am a registered voter and a Republican, so I can offer this: Donald Trump has my vote and support today, he’ll have my vote and support tomorrow, and he’ll have my vote and support in November.” (Source: Facebook)
Context: England is a Republican from Vancleave, Miss., who represents Mississippi State Senate District 51.
Former Gov. Phil Bryant, Republican
“Still standing with my friend and the next President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. He will appeal this radical political decision and win. Keep the faith America!” (Source: Facebook)
Context: Bryant was a longtime supporter of Trump who served on his 1776 Commission, a project designed to make the teaching of history more friendly to white historic figures.
Read more coverage of Trump’s criminal trials at this link.
