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Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a picture of an upside down flag in the wake of former president Donald Trump’s conviction on Thursday.
The upside-down flag has become a symbol for the “Stop the Steal” movement that the former president’s supporters brandished at the US Capitol on January 6. It’s also the same symbol that was spotted at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home in Virginia, three years ago and recently brought to the public’s attention, sparking a controversy and calls for his resignation.
The 45th President of the United States had been convicted of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records following a six-week criminal trial in New York shortly before Ms Greene posted the image on X.
The jury of 12 New Yorkers handed down the verdict following two days of deliberation.
The former president covered up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Greene, a Republican representative and longtime Trump backer, wrote on X: “Joe Biden’s campaign orchestrated a rally outside of the courthouse in New York City supporting a potential conviction of President Trump.
“This case has been rigged from the start and we all knew it. This isn’t a prosecution, it’s a persecution. We must end the weaponization of government in America. This is what happens in third world countries!”
Protestors were seen outside the courthouse as a verdict was reached in the trial. Trump echoed Greene’s remarks in a statement posted to Truth Social on Thursday.
“THIS WAS A DISGRACE—A RIGGED TRIAL BY A CONFLICTED JUDGE WHO IS CORRUPT,” he wrote. “WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR CONSTITUTION—THIS IS LONG FROM OVER!”
He followed that up with: “VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!”
Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for president and his sentencing is set for four days before the Republican National Convention.
Throughout the trial, numerous Republicans made the trek to New York City to show their solidarity with the twice-impeached-quadruple-indicted former president. Everyone from back-bench members of the House of Representatives, to governors and attorney generals appeared at the courthouse.
Many Republicans did so in the name of circumventing the gag order that Judge Juan Merchan placed on Mr Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who visited the court earlier this month in support of Trump, also denounced the verdict on Thursday.
“Today is a shameful day in American history,” he said. “Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”
Representative Matt Gaetz, the hard-right Republican from Florida who also travelled to New York to support him, baselessly claimed that the ruling was corrupt.
“This verdict is the corrupt result of a corrupt trial, a corrupt judge, and a corrupt DA,” he said. “We will stand with President Trump now more than ever to save the country.”
Mr Gaetz also posted a link to Trump’s campaign on X.
Representative Lauren Boebert, who along with Mr Gaetz and other hard-right Republicans went to the New York trial to show their support earlier this month, criticised the decision.
“If this were happening in another country, Biden would be asking Congress to authorize a war to reinstate democracy abroad,” Ms Boebert, who faces a tough primary this year in Colorado after switching districts, said on X. “Make no mistake, this is Communism.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who had also turned up in New York, called the trial a “witch hunt”.
“Whether you consider the lopsided jury, the gag order issued to silence only President Trump, the prosecution’s failure to outline the alleged underlying crimes, or the lack of a unanimous verdict required for conviction, this trial was a complete joke and a massive misuse of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom the Texas house of representatives impeached but whom the state senate did not convict, pledged to assist the former president.
“As Attorney General of Texas, I will unleash every tool at my disposal to fight this blatant corruption and political persecution spewing from New York and the Biden administration,” he said.
Arizona Republican senate candidate Kari Lake denounced the ruling, saying that the case was politically motivated.
“We just witnessed the most egregious example of election interference and an outright mockery of the rule of law in the 246-year history of our Republic,” she said in a statement.
Representative Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican who had previously criticised Trump before she endorsed him, said the verdict was an example of government weaponization.
“This is a VERY dark day for American democracy when the law is weaponized against its own citizens,” she said.
Senator Josh Hawley, who led the charge to overturn the 2020 electon results, blamed President Joe Biden and said he tried to criminalize his strongest political opponent.
“Congrats, Joe Biden. You’re the worst president ever,” he said.
Source: independent.co.uk
