'Sad day for America': Rep. Jim Banks, other Indiana Republicans rush to defend Trump

Republican candidates for some of the top statewide offices in Indiana called former President Donald Trump's hush money trial "a sham" and "a blatant abuse of our justice system" after a jury on Thursday found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Indiana U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who is running to represent the Hoosier State in the U.S. Senate and is endorsed by Trump, called New York, where the criminal hush money trial was held, "a liberal sh-- hole" in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The trial focused on allegations that Trump hid hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Trump, who remains highly popular in Indiana, is the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime.

More: Will convicted felon Donald Trump remain on Indiana's ballot in November?

"This was a rigged, disgraceful trial," Trump said following the verdict. "The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people."

Trump, who secured the Republican nomination for president earlier this year, easily won Indiana's primary election at the start of this month. Since 2016, his endorsements have catapulted Republican candidates to popularity among the party.

Other prominent Indiana Republicans rushed to Defend Trump on social media and in statements Thursday. U.S. Sen. Todd Young, who at times has been critical of Trump, was notably absent from the list of vocal Trump supporters, declining to comment.

As of Friday morning, the Indiana Democratic Party as well as the two Hoosier Democrats in Congress had not released public statements or made social media posts about the verdict, but 2024 Democratic candidates Jennifer McCormick and Destiny Wells both tweeted about the news. McCormick, who is running for governor against Republican Mike Braun, referred to the trial in a post on X asking for campaign donations to "fight against extremism."

"No one is above the law," McCormick's post reads. "We must respect the process and the outcomes. Leaders who reject this while using fear and chaos are not worthy of office."

Here's what other Republicans did (and did not) say:

Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks

Banks is running for Indiana's open U.S. Senate seat, with Trump's endorsement, and is highly likely to see a victory in the general election in November in deep red Indiana with Trump atop Republican ballots.

Banks in posts on his accounts on X lambasted the trial, verdict and scheduling of Trump's sentencing ahead of the Republican National Convention in July as "truly banana republic stuff."

Here is what Banks said in a media statement:

“It’s a sad day for our country, as Joe Biden and his liberal cronies have advanced their election interference plot. Joe Biden is behind all of this because he knows he can’t beat him at the ballot box. It’s a complete and total SHAM, and it has been since the beginning. Look at the facts: Corrupt DA Alvin Bragg is funded by Biden donors, Judge Juan Merchan donated to Biden and his daughter works for high-profile Democrats, and lead prosecutor Matthew Colangelo was formerly a top official in Biden’s weaponized Department of Justice. There was no way for this to be a fair trial.

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"While these New York jurors may have been willing to play a part in this sham, the American people recognize that these charges amount to nothing more than election interference orchestrated by the Biden administration. I stand with Donald J. Trump, and the American people do too.”

Banks has a close relationship with former President Trump and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 when Trump first won the presidency. Since then, Banks has been a staunch supporter of Trump and has appeared with the former president and his family members at rallies and appearances in and outside of Indiana.

Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun

Just over three weeks ago U.S. Sen. Mike Braun cruised to victory in Indiana's Republican gubernatorial primary with the endorsement of former President Trump. Braun posted on X criticizing the verdict as a "political weapon."

"This case was a blatant abuse of our justice system as a political weapon by a radical prosecutor trying to interfere in the election, and the verdict proves that this was just a show trial all along," Braun said. "Trump is going to win in November because Americans are sick of these political games when the price of everything has doubled in 4 years and the world is at war because of Joe Biden’s weakness and incompetence."

Republican U.S. Sen. Todd Young

A spokesperson for Republican Indiana U.S. Sen. Todd Young declined to comment on the Trump verdict Thursday.

The 'no comment' from Young's office aligns with the senator's previous public opinion's on the former president. For example, Young in 2023 told a CNN reporter that he would not support Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

Republican U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin

Erin Houchin won her election to Indiana's 9th Congressional District in 2022 with an endorsement from Trump and is running for reelection this year again with the former president's support.

In a post on X Thursday, Houchin said the former president's trial and verdict "should never have happened."

"Today is a sad day in America," she said. "This trial and verdict should never have happened. I never imagined we would witness a former President of the United States being politically prosecuted. This is a clear miscarriage of justice, and the American people won’t forget this corrupt, two-tiered system. It’s a travesty that we are witnessing this level of election interference in our country. I look forward to President Trump’s appeal of this verdict and its reversal."

Houchin in May was part of an interaction on the House floor where Republicans decided a Democratic representative violated House rules by describing Trump's legal issues.

Republican U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym

Yakym, who is running for reelection to Indiana's 2nd Congressional District, said in a post on X Thursday that the verdict would only help Trump win back the presidency in November. Yakym was elected to the 2nd Congressional District after former U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed in a car crash.

"The Rule of Law had a good 235 year run in America, but Joe Biden killed it in a Soviet show trial because he is badly losing in the polls to President Trump," Yakym said. "Biden and the Left’s lust for power and assaults on democracy are despicable and must be defeated at the ballot box. President Trump has already been acquitted in the court of public opinion. This baseless outcome is only going to help President Trump on his way to winning in November and Making America Great Again."

Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Baird

Baird represents Indiana's 4th Congressional District and was first elected to Congress in 2018. The congressman, who is running for reelection in November said in a statement that Thursday's verdict would be a day "that Democrats will come to regret."

“Today is a dark day in American history and one that Democrats will come to regret," Baird said. "To any objective observer, this case was rigged from the beginning to silence President Biden’s political opponent. For Democrats, the end justified the means, even if that meant eroding Americans confidence in the justice system and Constitution in the process. However, this is only going to strengthen Trump’s resolve and grow his support—and come November 5, the American people are going to fire President Biden.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon

U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon announced in January that he would not seek reelection to Congress after more than a decade representing Indiana's 8th Congressional District. But while Bucshon will not be in Congress after 2024, he released a statement Thursday evening calling the case against Trump "a gross abuse of the legal system."

“Today’s verdict is shocking – but not surprising," Bucshon said. "It is apparent to all but partisan liberals that the decision to prosecute this case against President Trump was nothing more than a gross abuse of the legal system in an attempt to hurt his electoral prospects in this year’s presidential contest.  No one is above the law in the United States, but neither should we allow criminal prosecution against an individual to be normalized as a campaign strategy to achieve a partisan electoral outcome.”

Anne Hathaway, Indiana Republican Party Chairwoman

Anne Hathaway currently leads the state's Republican Party and is leading the Republican National Convention's Committee on Arrangements, which is in charge of running the 2024 convention in Milwaukee.

Trump will be sentenced on July 11, just four days before the start of the convention where Republicans are expected to formally name him the party's nominee for president.

In a statement, Hathaway said President Joe Biden and Democratic allies "weaponized" the justice system. Biden was not involved in the prosecution or determination of the verdict of Trump's trial.

“Joe Biden and his Democrat allies' weaponization of the American justice system is disgusting and today officially marks a sad day in U.S. history," Hathaway said. "Unfortunately, the real victims are the American people who are left to deal with crippling inflation, a humanitarian crisis at the southern border, crumbling public safety, and instability across the globe. Fortunately, the American people will be heard loud and clear when Donald Trump is elected President in November."

USA Today contributed to this story.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at [email protected] or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Republicans call Trump New York hush money verdict 'a sham'