When the "guilty" verdict for former and potentially future President Donald Trump came down on Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was among several top Republican senators who took to social media to share his true outrage over such a "miscarriage of justice." He also previewed the special edition of his podcast, "The Verdict," which he released later that night. A major theme throughout the episode was what a "travesty" the outcome was, and how it amounts to "a political hit job" and "the worst instance of election interference our country's ever seen," among other things.
This sham trial is an absolute travesty of justice.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 30, 2024
This was not law. This was not justice. This was ALL politics.
I will be doing a special episode of Verdict tonight to break down this extraordinary weaponization of the justice system. You do not want to miss this episode. pic.twitter.com/SjDmcODViB
The election interference looks to be all by design, and that it was that way from the start. Co-host Ben Ferguson reminded that sentencing is to take place on July 11, four day before the Republican National Convention takes place in Milwaukee. As Ferguson expressed concerns that Trump could be prevented from attending if he was imprisoned or placed under house arrest, he wondered, "how is that alone not election interference?"
While Cruz feels certain "that's not gonna happen," he did point out how "it is illustrative of just how ridiculous what's transpired is." From there, the senator continued to let us know how he really feels. "I am on one level furious. This is an outrage. It is it is a disgusting assault on democracy on the rule of law. But I'm also heartbroken. I'm heartbroken, and I believe in our justice system. Our justice system is supposed to provide equal justice under law," he shared.
He carried that emotion over into what it means for not just Trump, but the sense of justice--or lack thereof in New York-- especially considering how DA Alvin Bragg and Acting New York County Supreme Court Justice Juan Manuel Merchan's handled the matter. Merchan's way of handling the case was panned and decried, and he has had conflicts of interest from the start, including through his adult daughter's politics.
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When mentioning the jurors, referring to them as "Democrat partisans," Cruz pointed out, "I will say, a significant part of that was no doubt driven by the absurd jury instructions given by the judge."
He had even stronger words for New York from there, adding, "this judge has made the New York justice system into a global laughingstock across the planet. People know that the justice system in New York doesn't follow the rule of law. It doesn't care about other law instead it is a tool to attack your political enemies." Cruz expressed "that makes me sad because that's not the way our justice system is supposed to work."
This is what Trump is working with for the next steps, which the senator laid out further. "You ask what's next? Well, Trump has been released on his own recognizance. The next step is sentencing. Sentencing is going to happen four days before the Republican National Convention," Cruz shared. He went on to emphasize that "we will find out about sentencing literally the week of the Republican National Convention," adding "I don't think it is by accident, and "this entire trial is designed to interfere with the election."
Cruz predicted that the conviction will be overturned on appeal, by "100.0 percent," emphasizing "it will be overturned on appeal. I think the judge knows that. I think the judge in this trial bent over backwards, did everything possible gave jury instructions that just defied U.S. Supreme Court precedent, did not require the jury to be unanimous on all the elements of the trial, let the jury mix and match and pick different potential other crimes to elevate this from a misdemeanor to a felony."
While "all of that is reversible error," and "the judge knows that," Cruz made the crucial point that "I don't think he cares. I don't think the prosecutor cares. Because the objective here is not to get a conviction that sticks. The objective is not to put Donald Trump in jail. The objective is to smear him."
Sure enough, as the senator pointed out, "within minutes of the verdict coming down, the Biden White House put out a statement referring to him as a quote, 'convicted felon,' which was the entire point of all of this."
It's also something that we had better get used to. "We will hear the words 'convicted felon' referring to Donald Trump, from Democrats and from the corporate media, 1 billion times between now and Election Day, every other sentence they say will say 'felon, felon, felon, felon' and that was the point, and they know it'll be reversed on appeal, but that will happen after Election Day. And this is all their effort to try to stop the American people from reelecting Trump," Cruz shared to really drive the point home.
As Ferguson tried to raise the point further about jail time or house arrest for Trump, especially since he was "rogue from the beginning," and already knows it will be overturned, Cruz offered he doesn't think Merchan is stupid.
"He might" put him in jail, Cruz acknowledged, making clear that "I fully believe this judges partisan enough, he would love to throw Donald Trump in a deep pit, to throw him in the pit of despair, to use a 'Princess Bride' analogy. He would do everything in anything he could. But I also I don't have any indication that this judge is stupid. I think he's a partisan, I think he hates Trump. And I think he's willing to abuse his power."
Here's where the stupidity factor and the Democrats' endgame comes into play. "But assuming he's not stupid, now I don't know that, if he orders Donald Trump is sent to jail, that will be subjected to an immediate appeal. And I think the immediate appeal would be successful. I don't know if it would be the state courts in New York, or if it would be the federal courts. But I don't think the courts are going to allow the presumptive Republican nominee, and I think likely the next President of the United States to be hauled away to Rikers Island."
And, as Cruz reminded, "New York State is also a state where you can assault a police officer, you can punch a little old lady in the face on the street, you can practically rape or murder someone, and these imbeciles won't send you to jail. But if your crime is being a Republican who is the leading candidate for president, you're right, this partisan judge just might send you to jail. But I think he won't do it.
Such similar points about New York's 'justice' system have been raised before.
Ironically, if Donald Trump had been not named Donald Trump and had indeed shot someone in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue, Alvin Bragg would have let it slide.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 31, 2024
"You're saying that it's more valuable to not put him under house arrest, or put him in jail, because then he's the convicted felon through Election Day, then it's overturned after Election Day, and you interfere with the election results. And if you actually put him in jail or under house arrest, then it would escalate the timeline rapidly," Ferguson clarified.
In response, Cruz also summed up how putting Trump in jail "would be bad politics," stressing "this is not law, this is not criminal justice, it's politics."
As he explained further, "it would be bad politics, because it would force the appellate courts to act, and I think neither the partisan judge nor the partisan DA want the appellate courts to get a victory for Donald Trump before November. So, they're not going to do anything, I think to tee up a legal victory for Donald Trump before November. They want any legal victory for Trump to be after November."
Cruz did offer "one caveat" of Trump being placed under house arrest at Mar-a-Lago, where he would be allowed to give his speech at the RNC and participate in the debate. "I don't think the judge will do that, but it is conceivable." the senator said about such a possibility.
Such a house arrest "with enough exceptions, that it is not transparently election interference, it's just obvious to anyone with an IQ above 12, that it's election interference," Cruz offered. "That is not outside the realm of possibility. I think that probably doesn't happen either," Cruz made clear, emphasizing once more how sending Trump to jail "would force a rapid appellate reversal, and that's terrible politics."
In New York, you can assault a police officer or punch an old lady and Alvin Bragg will do everything he can to keep you out of jail.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 1, 2024
However, if you are a Republican, he will come after you.
His corruption is a disgrace to the judicial system.https://t.co/ZkkJclVQti pic.twitter.com/BMIYXRdfQO
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