Let's set the national frame with this from The NYTimes:
Donald J. Trump was convicted on Thursday of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, capping an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and transformed the former commander in chief into a felon.
The guilty verdict in Manhattan — across the board, on all 34 counts — will reverberate throughout the nation and the world as it ushers in a new era of presidential politics. Mr. Trump will carry the stain of the verdict during his third run for the White House as voters now choose between an unpopular incumbent and a convicted criminal.
While it was once unthinkable that Americans would elect a felon as their leader, Mr. Trump’s insurgent behavior delights his supporters as he bulldozes the country’s norms. Now, the man who refused to accept his 2020 election loss is already seeking to delegitimize his conviction, attempting to assert the primacy of his raw political power over the nation’s rule of law.
In case you missed it.
Sentencing is set for July 11.
Now, let's take a look at at local take. This is from WPXI:
Former President Donald Trump was found guilty Thursday on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The reaction has, unsurprisingly, been mostly along party lines.
“I think history will judge this as a personal scandal of no bearing on public policy that was twisted into a criminal prosecution by an elected Democratic district attorney,” Sam DeMarco said. He chairs Allegheny County’s Republican Party.
Ok, let's stop right there. PXI left out a very important detail about DeMarco.
This:
KDKA-TV has confirmed that FBI agents interviewed the chairman of the Allegheny County Republican party, Sam DeMarco, on Thursday morning as part of an ongoing investigation into the 2020 presidential election.
The news was first reported by our news partner at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
DeMarco was questioned as part of a nationwide probe into the Trump campaign's attempt to send alternate electors from key swing states to Washington, D.C.
DeMarco was one of 20 Republicans to sign on to a slate of alternate electors.
WTAE has wee a bit more:
"The American public will be the final jury in this case, and they’ll make their decision in November," DeMarco said. "But I fully expect the New York appellate courts to take [the case] and correct this mistake."
When asked if he respects the jury's decision, DeMarco said, "No."
"I question whether the jury received the proper instructions," DeMarco said. "Judge Merchan’s instructions said that the jurors didn’t have to agree on what the underlying crime was."
Sam DeMarco was one of Trump's fake electors. He doesn't get to lecture the rest of us about the rule of law as he was one of the people who sought to overturn it in 2020.
