'Terrible Precedent': GOP Lawmaker Lets Loose On The 'Politically Motivated' Conviction Of Trump

4 months ago

During remarks on the House floor, Rep. John Rose (R-TN) lamented the prosecution of former President Trump, and hammered Democratic legal efforts to hamper Trump's reelection campaign.

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Transcript

00:00 Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the terrible precedent set in our country four days ago.

00:07 Using the justice system to engage in a politically driven prosecution and now conviction of a

00:13 major political party nominee running for president, especially on the charges brought

00:18 against Donald Trump, should gravely concern every member of this body as well as every

00:24 American across our country, whether they be Republican or Democrat, for Donald Trump

00:30 or against him.

00:31 Regardless of one's opinion of the current Republican nominee, we'd be well served to

00:37 remember the long and cherished tradition we have in this country of settling our political

00:43 differences at the ballot box.

00:46 For nearly two and a half centuries, our nation's elected leaders have properly resisted the

00:52 temptation to oppose their political rivals through the weaponization of our justice system.

00:58 Equal justice for all.

01:00 And an overall trust in our justice system is fundamental to who we are as Americans.

01:07 And those who would destroy that hard-earned trust just to score cheap political points

01:13 should be held accountable.

01:15 As an attorney, I can tell you that May 30th will be among the more infamous dates in American

01:21 history.

01:23 The facts behind these flimsy charges against President Trump were already examined by prosecutors

01:29 nearly a decade ago, resulting in the conclusion that the facts did not support criminal charges.

01:36 Last Friday's verdict was clearly the result of a prosecution in search of a crime.

01:43 The primary accusation in the entire case is that of falsifying business records, a

01:48 misdemeanor crime in the state of New York.

01:51 Yet this district attorney questionably elevated these charges to felonies, dubiously creating

01:58 what was essentially a first-of-its-kind prosecution.

02:02 For those not convinced Donald Trump's prosecution was driven by nefarious politics rather than

02:08 the law, consider that the DA who brought these charges actually campaigned on "getting"

02:16 President Trump.

02:17 Also, consider that the entire basis for this verdict is the testimony of a convicted felon

02:23 found guilty of perjury who also admittedly stole money from the Trump Organization.

02:30 The same witness has since celebrated the verdict, even saying the verdict is "exactly

02:36 what America needs right now" and "I would like him to feel what I felt."

02:45 Revenge seems to be the motive.

02:48 We're hearing the quiet part out loud, Mr. Speaker.

02:51 It's often said by my friends on the other side of the aisle that no one is above the

02:56 law.

02:58 I agree.

02:59 But no one is below the law either.

03:03 I hear from countless Tennesseans who are outraged not only by the lack of merit in

03:09 this case, but also the timing.

03:12 We are six months away from an election.

03:15 They sense we have devolved into a two-tier justice system, and they want the madness

03:24 to end.

03:25 We must restore normal discourse in our country.

03:29 Impeachment is a word used far too often in this body.

03:33 I feared this would happen when the Democratic majority decided to take the extreme step

03:40 of impeaching our former president twice.

03:44 Now a remedy provided by our founders and meant to be rare is becoming commonplace.

03:50 We cannot allow the Department of Justice to be trivialized as well.

03:56 Our founders envisioned the possibility that a president could be harassed by political

04:00 opponents, which is why I continue to argue in favor of immunity for this type of prosecution.

04:07 Impeachment is the tool the Congress has to hold our chief executives accountable.

04:13 Elections are the tool for them to be accountable to we the people.

04:18 I look forward to the appeal of President Trump's conviction, and I believe it will

04:24 be successful.

04:25 In the meantime, House Republicans will continue doing all we can to shine a light on the heavy-handed

04:31 tactics of the Biden Department of Justice.

04:34 We will continue to conduct our constitutionally required oversight duties.

04:39 But ultimately, I believe the first step in restoring public trust will come this fall

04:46 in the elections when the American people make the ultimate decision and I believe we'll

04:52 re-elect President Donald Trump.

04:54 Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back.

04:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]

'Terrible Precedent': GOP Lawmaker Lets Loose On The 'Politically Motivated' Conviction Of Trump

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