The New York judge overseeing Trump’s trial has set the sentencing date for July 11.
Arizona officials and candidates responded to former President Donald Trump’s conviction in his New York hush money trial.
A jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. He is now the first former president to be convicted of felony charges.
READ MORE: Jurors find Trump guilty in adult film star hush money trial
As news broke, elected officials and political figures across Arizona responded to Trump’s conviction.
Democratic US Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego tweeted that he respects the justice system and rule of law. “The process played out, and we should always demand accountability from our elected leaders.”
His presumed opponent in the Arizona Senate race, Republican Kari Lake—along with fellow congressional candidates Abe Hamadeh and Blake Masters—condemned the verdict and defended the former president. Lake called the verdict an “outright mockery of the rule of law.”
Republicans currently in office also spoke out in support of Trump, including US Reps. Eli Crane and Paul Gosar. The Arizona Republican Party put out a statement denouncing the conviction.
Democratic US Rep. Raúl Grijalva called the verdict a “moment of profound reckoning.”
“This was not a witch hunt or rigged trial, but a stark reminder of the need to further safeguard our democratic institutions from deception, erosion, and abuse,” he wrote in a statement.
Spokespeople for Democrats Gov. Katie Hobbs and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told the Arizona Republic the officials would not be commenting on the verdict.
Mayes is currently prosecuting 18 people involved in a scheme to overturn Arizona’s election results in 2020 in Trump’s favor.
The New York judge overseeing Trump’s trial has set the sentencing date for July 11. Trump will remain out of custody in the meantime, but is facing a maximum of four years in prison.
