An unexpected twist…
Members from both sides of the aisle have aired their opinions in the wake of former President Trump's guilty verdict but Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) has shared an idea that's unlikely to get much support from his colleagues: a pardon.
Following the verdict, Rep. Phillips said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) should seriously consider pardoning the former President “for the good of the country.”
Despite his call to let Trump walk free, the Democrat Congressman shared nothing but insults for the presumptive Republican nominee in a post on X.
“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 on X. “@GovKathyHochul should pardon him for the good of the country.”
In a separate post, Rep. Phillips defended his proposal noting how the Trump campaign has already begun to capitalize on the shocking trial. (RELATED: Trump's Conviction Turns Cash Cow: $200M Raised, Eric Tells Fox News)
On Friday, the Trump campaign announced a new record of $34.8 million raised in the hours after the verdict.
“You think pardoning him is stupid? Making him a martyr over a payment to a porn star is stupid. (Election charges are totally different.)” Phillips wrote in another post. “It's energizing his base, generating record sums of campaign cash, and will likely result in an electoral boost.”
Hochul appeared to suggest that pardoning Trump is off the table as she made clear her support for the verdict in a statement released Thursday.
“Today's verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law. In preparation for a verdict in this trial, I directed my Administration to closely coordinate with local and federal law enforcement and we continue to monitor the situation. We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system,” the statement said.
Phillips is not the only congressman calling for Hochul to pardon Trump. Republican New York Rep. Nick LaLota wrote on social media that “the best way to unwind” Trump's conviction is for Hochul to “immediately announce her intention” to pardon the former president.
Earlier this year Phillips emerged as a long-shot “alternative” to President Joe Biden before suspending his campaign in March.
“I ran for Congress in 2018 to resist Donald Trump, I was trapped in the Capitol in 2021 because of Donald Trump, and I ran for President in 2024 to resist Donald Trump again – because Americans were demanding an alternative, and democracy demands options,” he wrote on X.
“But it is clear that alternative is not me. And it is clear that Joe Biden is OUR candidate and OUR opportunity to demonstrate what type of country America is and intends to be,” Phillips continued.
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