New York Republican suggests hush money case helped to elect Trump: ‘Great irony’

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) suggested the New York hush money case played a part in helping President-elect Trump win the 2024 presidential election against Vice President Harris. 

“Well, the great irony in all of this is that I don't think anyone did more to help elect Donald Trump president of the United States than Alvin Bragg and Tish James,” Lawler said during his Saturday appearance on Fox News, referencing Bragg (D), the Manhattan district attorney, whose office prosecuted the case where a 12-person jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts. The president-elect has denied any wrongdoing. 

“In both cases, you had two rogue prosecutors who decided that when they were running for office that they were going to go after Donald Trump. They said it. They ran on it. And then, in fact, did it. And in both cases, the charges make no sense,” the New York Republican said. 

Lawler’s remarks came as New York Judge Juan Merchan on Friday ordered that the hush money criminal sentencing occur on Jan. 10 — 10 days before Trump’s inauguration. 

In his decision, Merchan hinted that he would not impose punishment for the May conviction over concerns about Trump’s immunity from criminal prosecution when taking the oath of office later this month. 

In response, Trump said that Merchan should be disbarred and added that he “never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge by a corrupt judge who is just doing the work of the Biden/Harris Injustice Department, an attack on their political opponent, ME!.” 

Lawler asserted that Bragg’s case should have been thrown out. 

“In the case of Alvin Bragg, he took what would have amounted to at worst a violation of the FEC and turned it from a federal case into a state case, and from a misdemeanor to a felony,” he said. “That alone, it should have been thrown out, just on the merits itself.”