|
Rather than rescind their support of Donald Trump after he was convicted on 34 felony counts, California Republicans, John Duarte, David Valadao, Mike Garcia, Young Kim, Kevin Kiley, and Michelle Steel have reacted with “radio silence” – despite voicing support for the former president just this week.
The vulnerable Republicans’ blind loyalty to the first former U.S. President ever convicted of a felony is wildly out of step with Californians, and the choice to abandon their constituents will cost the group in November.
DCCC Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb:
“If these shameless, self-serving GOP representatives cared a single bit about ‘law and order’ in California, they’d be condemning this 34-time convicted felon instead of endorsing him to be President of the United States. While folks like Garcia, Duarte, Valadao, Kiley, and Steel are busy debating how to dodge basic questions or explain their support for the 34-time convicted felon in the room, California voters are fed up with the games and ready for leaders who will actually put in the work to lower costs, protect their communities, and cut out all the partisan charades that their current members of Congress love to indulge.”
Los Angeles Times: Most California Republicans in competitive congressional races are silent on Trump’s conviction
Laura Nelson, Seema Mehta, Julia Wick | May 30, 2024
-
Most of the Republican candidates for Congress in California’s most competitive districts reacted to the news of former President Trump’s historic criminal conviction with radio silence.
-
After the verdict, California’s Republican leaders quickly cast doubt on the verdict’s legitimacy and argued it would boost Trump’s chances of reelection in November.
-
In California’s most hotly contested congressional races, though, few wanted to publicly tangle with the question of Trump’s conviction.
-
Representatives for Reps. Young Kim (R-Anaheim Hills), Michelle Steel (R-Seal Beach), Mike Garcia (R-Santa Clarita), David Valadao (R-Hanford) and John Duarte (R-Modesto) did not return requests for comment.
-
In the wake of Trump’s conviction, Democrats seized upon 23 vulnerable House Republicans who had endorsed the former president, including Duarte, Garcia, Calvert and Steel.
-
“House Republicans have continued to put Donald Trump first and the American people last,” said Courtney Rice, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Their districts deserve better than their cult-like adherence to a wannabe dictator. Each and every one of them should rescind their endorsement, but won’t.”
-
Trump’s trial, which began in April in New York City, was one of four felony cases that Trump was facing, though it was thought to be the only one likely to see a trial before the November election.
-
The verdict hinged on whether Trump falsified business records to hide a $130,000 hush money payment that Michael Cohen — Trump’s lawyer and, later, a witness for the prosecution — made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, who alleged she’d had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade prior.
|
