House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called on the Supreme Court to "step in" on Donald Trump's appeal after the presumptive GOP presidential nominee was convicted on Thursday on all 34 counts in his New York paperwork trial.
"I do believe the Supreme Court should step in," Johnson said a day after Trump made history as the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes.
Johnson made his comments during a Friday appearance on Fox News' "Fox and Friends," later adding that the high court justices, "many" of whom he knows, are "deeply concerned about that as we are."
"So, I think they will set this straight, but it's gonna take a while," he said.
A 12-person Manhattan jury returned a guilty verdict on Thursday following 9.5 hours of deliberations. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to conceal payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Juan Merchan has set the sentencing hearing for July 11, which is four days before Trump is expected to be officially named as the presidential nominee at the Republican National Committee's convention in Milwaukee.
Once sentencing has taken place, the former president's legal team is expected to file an appeal. Johnson called the developments "unprecedented" and said they are causing people to lose faith in the justice system.
The speaker's comments about the Supreme Court intervening come as the most conservative high court justices have faced calls to recuse themselves over concerns about impartiality when it comes to Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump cases.
Justice Samuel Alito was criticized for flying an upside-down American flag over his family's Virginia home in 2021 and an "Appeal to Heaven" flag at his family's New Jersey beach house last year. Both flags are similar to ones carried by protestors who breached the Capitol building on Jan. 6.
In a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday, Alito said his wife, Martha-Ann, was responsible for flying both flags and said neither incident warranted his recusal.
Thomas has also faced calls to remove himself from certain cases over his wife's alleged support for Trump's efforts to investigate election fraud and challenge the results of the 2020 election.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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