Governor Ivey, other AL lawmakers react to former President Trump’s conviction

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — A lawmaker said the conviction of former President Donald Trump is an example of the legal system at work, while others say otherwise.

After being found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Donald Trump is set to be sentenced on July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention.

Despite his conviction, Trump is still legally allowed to continue campaigning for the 2024 presidential election.

“Despite the jury’s verdict in New York, as President Trump said, the people will make the final, real vote on November 5,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey.

State Rep. Sam Jones (D-Mobile) said the judiciary should be blind.

“It really says something about our criminal justice system,” Jones said. “No matter who you are, what you’ve done or where you live, what your income status is, what your race might be, what your religion might be, everyone is judged the same in the court system. And standing like that, it really lives up to what our constitution says.”

But state Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-Russellville) said it’s no coincidence that Trump’s sentence comes just days before the Republican National Convention.

“I think we are witnessing the complete politicization of the US justice system,” Kiel said. “It appears that any candidate who talks about reforming Washington, fighting the deep state or draining the swamp risks prosecution.”

State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) said she believes the verdict was fair.

“At the end of the day, it’s very difficult to survive 34 charges of anything. I don’t care who you are in America,” Givan said. “This case was not about class. It was not about socio-economic status. It was about someone breaking the law.”

Kiel and Givan said Trump will appear on the ballot in November regardless of the sentence.