The Supreme Court should take up former President Donald Trump's case after his conviction on 34 counts of falsification of business records, as the New York appellate system would take too long to make a determination, Rep. Byron Donalds said Sunday.
"In New York, the only ability for this to be overturned is going to be happening two or three years from now," the Florida Republican told NBC News' "Meet the Press." "We all know this. That's why what happened in lower Manhattan was to interfere with an election, which is why Speaker [Mike] Johnson, myself included, and many Americans believe the Supreme Court should step into this matter."
Johnson, R-La., last week called on the Supreme Court to overturn Trump's guilty verdict. As matters stand, the former president's attorneys would have to take the case through New York's appellate courts before it reaches the top court for a decision.
Donalds Sunday also said that the case against Trump was brought "for political purposes," and that the proceedings were held to interfere with the presidential election.
"We have always had this kind of gentleman's agreement that you do not go after the political leaders of the opposition party," said Donalds, who reportedly is on Trump's short list of potential running mates."
"When Donald Trump was president, he didn't have his attorney generals go after Hillary Clinton," he said, but now, the Justice Department has been "weaponized' to go after Trump.
"You have Jack Smith, who's chasing down Donald Trump on violating the Espionage Act, but at the same time, Robert Hur knows that President Biden has violated the Espionage Act," said Donalds. "Robert Hur is not prosecuting Joe Biden.
Trump confirmed Saturday in Detroit that Donalds is "very high" on his list of potential vice presidents. The Florida congressman said Sunday that he would be able to serve as commander-in-chief if necessary.
"I'm actually pretty intelligent," he said. " can sift through issues really, really well. It’s about judgment. It’s about logic streams. It’s about how you make decisions at the end of the day.”
Donalds added that he believes in himself "100%" and will support Trump on his choice for running mate or other matters "whatever he does."