Team Trump isn’t taking too kindly to dissent within the ranks.
Responding to former Maryland governor and moderate Republican Larry Hogan’s appeal for Americans to “respect the verdict and legal process” after Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts in his New York criminal trial, a senior campaign adviser to the former president and presumptive presidential nominee showed where power lies in the GOP, writing: “You just ended your campaign.”
The stark warning from Chris LaCivita spoke to the challenge ahead for Hogan if he is to convince Republicans in Maryland, the state he governed for eight years, to back him for U.S. Senate.
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Hogan ran Maryland from 2015 to 2023 and remains popular with voters but already stands apart from most of his own party, having said he will not vote for Trump in November.
That stance makes political sense in a deep blue state where Hogan must appeal to Democrats and independents in his race against Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic county executive.
Accordingly, on Thursday, after Trump was found guilty, becoming the first former president ever convicted of a crime, Hogan appealed for moderation.
“Regardless of the result,” Hogan wrote on social media, “I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process.
“At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”
Hogan’s words echoed a brief statement from the White House, where Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s Office, said simply: “We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment.”
A spokesperson for Hogan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
