RNC chair Lara Trump blasts Republican candidate Larry Hogan over comments on Donald Trump verdict

WASHINGTON – Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, slammed former GOP Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and would not commit to using RNC resources to support his Senate bid in the state.

Hogan cautioned ahead of the verdict in Trump's New York hush money trial that Americans should "respect the verdict and the legal process."

"At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law," he wrote in a post on X.

Trump campaign advisor Chris LaCivita responded: "You just ended your campaign."

Asked about Hogan's comments on Sunday, Lara Trump told CNN's Kasie Hunt that she thinks he "should never have said something like that."

"We of course want to win as a party," she said, but would not commit to using Republican Party resources to campaign for Hogan. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recruited Hogan to run for the open seat vacated by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., who is retiring at the end of this term.

"I think anybody who’s not speaking up in the face of really something that should never again have seen the light of day, a trial that would never have been brought against any other person aside from Donald Trump, doesn’t deserve the respect of anyone,” Lara Trump said. Hogan “doesn’t deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party at this point, and quite frankly anybody in America."

Hogan is running against Democratic candidate Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has labeled the race "likely" for Democrats

Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu later told CNN that Lara Trump's comments were "a bad statement."

"We want him to win the Senate race," he said.

Republicans have closed ranks around the former president in the wake of the ruling Thursday, arguing it is representative of Democrats manipulating the legal system to hamper his presidential run. There is not evidence that prosecutors or other officials are targeting Trump's reelection bid.

A jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts in his New York criminal hush money trial, which has been unfolding over six weeks in Manhattan. Trump called the verdict a "disgrace" in brief remarks outside the courthouse. He has pledged to appeal.

Prosecutors argued that Trump falsified business records to hide $130,000 sent to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about their previous sexual encounter in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. Trump's defense attorneys argued that Cohen, a key witness in the trial was unreliable, and that he acted alone to pay off Daniels without Trump's knowledge.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lara Trump criticizes Larry Hogan over comments on Trump verdict