U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is one of many Republicans in Washington, D.C. who are echoing the claims of former President Donald Trump that his criminal trial in New York was “rigged.”
After the jury found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts, Greene wrote: “This case has been rigged from the start and we all knew it.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) agreed and wrote: “It was the outgrowth of a rigged, corrupt process.”
Fellow MAGA supporter, Rep. Bryon Donalds (R-FL) was asked by CNN anchor Laura Coates, “Do you respect what the jurors have had to say and their verdict?,” and he replied, “No, I don’t, and I think it’s part the jury’s fault but it’s really at the fault of Judge Merchan.”
CNN's Coates: Do you respect what the jurors have had to say and their verdict?
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) May 31, 2024
Rep. Donalds: No, I don't. And I think that's part the jury's fault… @Acyn pic.twitter.com/JAc0ppDhwk
American political scientist Brian Klaas (who teaches global politics at University College London, and writes for The Atlantic) made a plea to the mainstream media.
He wrote: “Interviewers: I beg you. Stop asking Republicans if they think the trial was ‘rigged.‘ Ask them if they believe that candidates should be allowed to make illegal hush money payments to further their campaign. Ask them, specifically, which evidence they think the jury got wrong.”
For the love of God, THIS. We saw this so much after the 2020 election, too: “Do you believe Trump won?”
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) May 31, 2024
You wouldn’t ask, “Do you believe the sky is green?” — it’s not, so who cares? Asking them to unpack *why* they hold a false belief actually forces them to provide evidence… https://t.co/TL2UczMFBp
Former FBI Special Agent-turned-Yale Law professor Asha Rangappa agreed with Klass.
She replied: “For the love of God, THIS. We saw this so much after the 2020 election, too. ‘Do you believe Trump won?'” She added: “You wouldn’t ask, ‘Do you believe the sky is green?’ — it’s not, so who cares? Asking them to unpack *why* they hold a false belief actually forces them to provide evidence for their claim.”
