Tennessee’s Republican leaders are reacting to the historic criminal conviction of former President Donald Trump with outrage and calls to action. Trump was convicted this week on 34 felony charges after illegally falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He has vowed to appeal the ruling.
Tennessee’s Republican senior U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn released a series of statements and social media posts, including one reading simply, “WITCH HUNT!” Blackburn also appeared on SuperTalk 99.7, where she conjectured that “people are going to rise up like they have not in a long time, because they know full well that if you can do this — if you can weaponize the government against a former president — if you can exercise two tiers of justice and if you can do this to him, they certainly can and will do it to you.”
Exactly how the “people are going to rise up” is unclear, but Blackburn, along with fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, has supported Trump pre-insurrection and post-insurrection. That violent 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol saw the attempted overturning of the will of the people and resulted in the deaths of several people.
Hagerty called Trump’s conviction a “dark day for American democracy” and an example of “lawfare,” which he described as “a new political strategy to damage your opponent so you don't have to meet your opponent at the ballot box.”
Tennessee’s U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Clarksville) also alleged that Trump's conviction was an attempt to “affect the results of the upcoming election.” Green has himself dodged questions over the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection after leaked texts revealed that he was in direct communication with former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about overturning the 2020 presidential election.
U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Columbia), who on May 16 spoke outside of the Manhattan courthouse with fellow Republicans in support of Trump, said that “Biden and his Democrat cohorts have officially made a mockery of our courts.”
“A politicized justice system does nothing to serve the American people,” said Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. “Voters in Tennessee and across the country recognize this verdict for what it is — a political attack — and they'll bring a change on Election Day in November.”
“What an incredibly sad day for America,” Tennessee’s Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) posted on X. “This is what Democrats do to their political enemies.” Johnson's wife is sitting Williamson County Circuit Judge Deanna Johnson.
More openly hostile groups like far-right hate group the Proud Boys called for “war” following the verdict. The extremist group has been active across the nation, including in Tennessee, where they have pushed back against LGBTQ and gun reform activists. In 2022, members of the group attended an anti-trans rally in Nashville, which featured remarks from Blackburn, Johnson and other Republican lawmakers.
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Trump’s sentencing is set for July 11, four days before he is expected to accept the Republican nomination in this year's presidential election. President Joe Biden did not immediately address the historic moment, instead relying on a campaign spokesperson to warn that Trump will be the Republican nominee and could win the election as a felon.
“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain,” the Biden administration’s statement reads in part. “But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box.”
Trump spoke at length about his conviction on Friday morning, vowing to "continue the fight" against what he called "bad" and "sick" people who he also labeled "fascist." Trump said the trial was "all done by Biden and his people," specifically referring to Biden as a "Manchurian candidate."
The Trump campaign is raising funds for the now self-described “political prisoner” in a continued effort to capitalize on the historic political blow.
“It’s time for every conservative Republican to wake up, participate, donate, and get involved,” reads a social media post from the Tennessee Republican Party.
Blackburn says the verdict will “energize” Republican voters, along with disheartened independents and Democrats. That sentiment is also reflected among local Republican leaders, including Williamson County GOP Chair Tracy Miller, who tells the Scene: “We, as Republicans, as Americans, are far more resolute in our support for him now than ever before.”
