Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine continues silence on Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine continues to stay silent on former President Donald Trump’s 34 felony convictions.
A quick “no,” was all DeWine said Tuesday morning when the Ohio Capital Journal asked if he had a response to a Manhattan jury convicting Trump on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair in an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election.
But DeWine’s comments, or lack of, stand in stark contrast from fellow Ohio Republicans.
Several Ohio Republican lawmakers and leaders quickly criticized the convictions and responded in outrage. Ohio Republican U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance said “this isn’t justice, it’s election interference.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost predicted the verdict will be overturned, and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the real verdict will come during the presidential election.
When asked during Tuesday’s gaggle with reporters what DeWine thought about comments other Republicans have made calling into question the legitimacy of the legal process, he said “I’m not going to comment about that today … I may have some thoughts about that.”
For the third time, Trump is the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States, and last week’s convictions go back to a $130,000 “hush money” payments his attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days leading up the 2016 election. Trump will be sentenced on July 11 — days before the Republican National Convention takes place.
Megan Henry is a reporter for the Ohio Capital Journal and has spent the past five years reporting in Ohio on various topics including education, healthcare, business and crime. She previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today Network. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X.
Ohio Capital Journal is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.