Even the Most Trump-Skeptical Republicans Got On Board With Trump After the Verdict

Trump’s most hardened critics in Congress didn’t dare cross him this time.

Susan Collins
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, talks to reporters in the Capitol, J. Scott Applewhite/AP

After a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts, the overwhelming majority of Republicans towed the party line and criticized the outcome as “disgusting and un-American,” “a political witch hunt” and “a sham trial.”

That Republicans would support Trump and denounce the trial wasn’t surprising. What was surprising, however, was the consensus from the GOP — even from the Republican lawmakers who have previously voted to impeach Trump — that the verdict was unjust.

Trump is, by no means, a universally beloved figure, even among Republicans. But even among the GOP lawmakers who have previously spoken out against Trump, hardly anyone wants to criticize the former president now.