Rep. Byron Donalds Wants Supreme Court to ‘Step in’ and Overturn Trump Conviction
Rep. Byron Donalds called for the Supreme Court to intervene and overturn Donald Trump’s conviction for falsifying business records related to his hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Daniels’ comments echo those made by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who told Fox News the day after Trump’s conviction, “I do believe the Supreme Court should step in. Obviously, this is totally unprecedented.” According to a Politico report, Trump called Johnson soon after he was convicted and told the speaker, “We have to overturn this,” in an f-bomb laden rant.
“Speaker Johnson, myself included, and many Americans believe the Supreme Court should step into this matter,” Donalds said during a Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Donalds argued that the prosecution of Trump is an attempt to “interfere” in the upcoming presidential election. “This is being done for political purposes. Everybody knows how the court system works in New York. The only ability for this to be overturned is going to be happening two or three years from now,” Donalds said, justifying his desire for the Supreme Court to “step in.”
“That’s why what happened in lower Manhattan was to interfere with an election,” he said without citing any evidence.
Moderator Peter Alexander quickly jumped in to fact check Donalds. “To be clear, Joe Biden, there is no evidence that he had anything to do with this case,” Alexander said. “The Manhattan DA, as you know, began this investigation in 2018, before Joe Biden was even his party’s nominee.”
Alexander also noted that Biden’s Department of Justice is currently prosecuting two Democratic politicians — Sen. Robert Menendez and Rep. Henry Cuellar — as well as Biden’s own son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted this past week on three felony counts related to the purchase of a gun he briefly owned.
“The Biden Justice Department obviously is also prosecuting Democrats,” Alexander said. “So is it only weaponization when it is Republicans that are being prosecuted?”
“That’s not true, and that’s not even the same thing we’re talking about here. What you’ve got to understand is,” Donalds began, but Alexander interrupted him.
“But they’ve prosecuted both Democrats and Republicans, so I think Americans would say is that equal justice?” the moderator said.
When Alexander asked the congressman why he wouldn’t allow the process to play out normally, going through state appeals first before the Supreme Court, Donalds said that would take too long.
“In New York, the only ability for this to be overturned is… going to be happening two or three years from now,” he said.
Donalds also alleged that the prosecution did not specify the crimes Trump was charged with, but the indictment issued in April 2023 clearly outlined that he stood accused of “falsifying business records in the first degree” in all 34 counts against him, the same crimes he was convicted of committing.
Donalds is rumored to be on the shortlist for Trump’s vice presidential pick.
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