Democrat Congressman Calls On NY Governor To Pardon Trump: ‘For The Good Of The Country’

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) has called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pardon the party’s leading political rival after former President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts in a highly questionable Manhattan trial. Phillips, who launched a last-minute bid to challenge President Biden for the Democratic nomination, believes that a pardon would help to heal partisan divides.

“Donald Trump is a serial liar, cheater, and philanderer, a six-time declarer of corporate bankruptcy, an instigator of insurrection, and a convicted felon who thrives on portraying himself as a victim,” Phillips wrote in an X post. “@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”

President Biden would be able to pardon Trump in a federal matter, though Trump’s conviction in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s highly questionable “hush money” case falls under the purview of the New York governor.

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Hochul has indicated that she has no intention of issuing a pardon, however. “Today’s verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law,” Hochul wrote in a statement shortly after the verdict was announced on Thursday.

Phillips’ call for a pardon largely fell on deaf ears among Democrat voters, many of whom flooded his X account with insults and calls to send the presidential frontrunner to prison.

“You think pardoning is stupid?” Phillips wrote in a follow-up post. “Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are entirely different.)”

“It’s energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”

In the days following the verdict, Phillips’ analysis appears to be holding true. Former President Trump raised more than $50 million in campaign contributions in the immediate aftermath of the verdict, surpassing President Biden’s totals for the entire month of May.

Trump has also enjoyed a boost in favorability, according to the small number of polls that have been conducted post-verdict. According to one snap poll from the Daily Mail, the guilty verdict in Manhattan has actually boosted the former President’s popularity among likely voters as the 2024 election approaches.

Among those who reported a change in their view of Donald Trump following his conviction on 34 felony counts, 22 percent now view him more favorably, while only 16 percent view him more negatively.