(UnitedVoice.com) – Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) ran for the Democratic nomination against President Joe Biden this year. He dropped out of the race in March after receiving almost no support. The Democrat is now calling on the New York governor to pardon former President Donald Trump.
On May 31, Phillips posted on X, formerly Twitter, calling Trump a “serial liar, cheater, and philanderer” and attacked him for his business practices. Still, the congressman said he thinks Governor Kathy Hochul should issue a pardon for the former president “for the good of the nation.”
In a follow-up post, Phillips responded to people who were saying it was a stupid idea. “Making [Trump] a martyr over a payment to a [adult film] star is stupid,” the congressman said.
A New York jury convicted the former president of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. According to prosecutors, Trump authorized his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay adult film star Stephanie “Stormy Daniels” Clifford to keep quiet about an alleged one-night stand she had with Trump. He then repaid Cohen by altering business records to make it look like legal payments.
In the hours after the verdict was handed down, donations poured into the Trump campaign. Angry Americans spoke out and accused the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office of weaponizing the criminal justice system against political enemies.
Phillips said that not pardoning Trump is just going to energize his base and might help him in the election.
While the Republican congressman might think it’s a good idea, someone close to Hochul told The Daily Beast that they couldn’t “imagine a world where she would consider” pardoning the former president.
Hochul’s own statements appear to make it clear that will never happen. After the verdict was read, she said the former president’s conviction reaffirmed “that no one is above the law.” In an interview with NPR, she said that if someone is convicted of a crime after a jury hears all of the evidence, “their verdict must hold.” She said she wants everyone to know that “no one is above the law.”
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