Nikki Haley, Chris Christie have bucked GOP by refusing to speak in defense of Trump
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Investor and TV personality Kevin O'Leary said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's successful case against former President Trump will help the presumptive Republican nominee win a second term in office.
FIRST ON FOX: A number of top Republicans are taking aim at those in the party who have refused to speak out against former President Trump's guilty verdict in his New York City trial last week, a group that includes former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Republicans overwhelmingly rushed to Trump's defense after he was found guilty Thursday on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, and those most closely aligned with the former president are making sure those who haven't know their lack of action isn't going unnoticed.
"I think it’s important for Republicans to be united on a basic reality that many independents and even a good number of Democrats plainly see: this trial was a sham," former presidential candidate and staunch Trump surrogate Vivek Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital.
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Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former President Trump and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (Getty Images)
"It’s a disgrace that a former U.S. president was convicted of a felony, where the jurors were told they didn’t have to even agree on what the crime was. It’s un-American," he said.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville took a more somber tone, telling Fox that Americans are now experiencing "an all-out war on our constitutional republic."
"These soft RINOs are letting their hatred for Donald Trump blind them from fighting to save our country. They need to either get on board or officially announce they prefer a socialist, communist regime," he said.
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Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, left, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (Getty Images)
"This is way bigger than Donald Trump. It’s about preserving the things that make our country the envy of the world. No true conservative should be able to say they care about America if they stand by and do nothing as the left destroys it."
Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox that "every American should be frightened by the left’s brazen escalation of their two tiers of justice."
"Joe Biden knows he can’t beat Donald Trump at the ballot box, so he is weaponizing our justice system to manufacture his desired outcome. As a party, Republicans need to stand united behind President Trump and condemn this scheme for what it is: election interference," she said.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee told Fox, "No Republican should stay silent in the midst of this unprecedented attack on America’s free elections and impartial judicial system. The stakes are too high."
NIKKI HALEY SILENT ON TRUMP'S NYC CONVICTION AS OTHER PROMINENT REPUBLICANS SPRING TO HIS DEFENSE
Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott (Getty Images)
Florida Sen. Rick Scott told Fox that "Everyone who calls themselves a leader in our party must stand up and condemn this lawless election interference," a swipe at those silent over Trump but also aimed at Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who he is vying to replace as the Senate's Republican leader.
"Silence is not merely indifference. It is an endorsement of Joe Biden and the weaponization of our justice system," he added.
McConnell came to Trump's defense following the verdict, writing in a post on X, "These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal."
Fox has reached out to representatives of Haley and Christie for comment.
Christie spoke extensively on the campaign trail while running in the Republican presidential primaries about Trump's legal woes, even predicting he would be a "convicted felon" when accepting the GOP nomination at the Republican National Convention in July.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.
