How Republicans responded to Trump being found liable of sexual abuse of E Jean Carroll
Few Republicans sided with the jury and criticised Mr Trump
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Your support makes all the difference.Many Republicans displayed a relentless loyalty to former president Donald Trump following the jury verdict determining Mr Trump is liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E Jean Carroll.
As Ms Carroll stepped out of the Manhattan courthouse, beaming, on Tuesday, Mr Trump and his allies quickly issued statements defending the former president.
Mr Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, where he claimed he had “absolutely no idea who this woman is” and said he planned to appeal the verdict.
Meanwhile, plenty of Republicans claimed the civil suit was just the most recent “attack” from Democrats and anti-Trump opponents.
Former vice president Mike Pence defended Mr Trump in an interview with NBC News, saying, “In my four and a half years serving alongside the president, I never heard or witnessed behaviour of that nature.”
Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley told radio host Hugh Hewitt that she didn’t want to “get into that” when asked about the verdict.
“We gotta leave the baggage and negativity behind,” she said.
On Fox News, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) called the case a “legal circus” and claimed it would not have an impact on the American public.
Mr Hagerty added, “I think we’ve seen President Trump under attack since before he became president, this has been going on for years.”
When Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was pressed about the jury’s decision and whether or not he still supports Mr Trump, he brushed it off, claiming he did not know about the details because he had been in a meeting.
Few Republicans supported the jury’s decision and used the verdict to criticse Mr Trump.
Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) said he hopes “the jury of American people reach the same conclusion about Donald Trump”.
Republican presidential nominee candidate and former Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson said the verdict was “unbecoming” of someone who wants to be president, in an interview with Fox News.
“I don’t think we should undermine what the jury determined, that’s undermining the rule of law that is important in society,” Mr Hutchinson said.
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