George Conway says Donald Trump‘s hush money trial actually “helped him in a very funny way,” claiming that it occupied Trump and “drew attention away from him…from the crazy things he says.”
Conway, an attorney and outspoken critic of the former president who helped found the anti-Trump Republican group The Lincoln Project, made the comments in a MeidasTouch interview, a left-leaning outlet.
Referring to the former president’s recent criminal hush money trial in New York City, Conway said, “The last trial helped him in a very funny way, temporarily. It drew attention away from him, it drew attention from the crazy things he says day in and day out when he’s out on the campaign trail.” Trump was unable to be on the campaign trail for seven weeks during the Manhattan trial.
On May 30, the former president and presumptive GOP presidential nominee was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump’s then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, before the 2016 presidential election. The Manhattan jury delivered the guilty verdict in May, making Trump the first former president convicted of felony crimes.
Daniels alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies. Trump has maintained his innocence and says the case is politically motivated. His legal team says it will fight the case, which will include an appeal, if necessary.
The former president now faces possible jail time, which will be determined at his July 11 sentencing by presiding Judge Juan Merchan, just days before the Republican National Convention, where he is expected to accept the party’s nomination.
Conway noted, “One of the reasons why the race seems closer than I think it will ultimately be is that people have forgotten about Donald Trump. They’ve forgotten who he was. They’ve forgotten the reasons they didn’t like him.” He went on to add that “the more you see of him the more you say what is wrong with him,” claiming “he is much more sicker than he was in 2020.”
Newsweek reached out to Conway and Trump’s spokesperson via email for comment on Wednesday evening.
Donald Trump raised $141 million in May, the month he stood trial, according to his campaign and the Republican National Committee. After the jury found him guilty, his campaign said he “nearly doubled” his daily fundraising record, telling Newsweek in an email statement that the campaign raised “$34.8 million.”
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump are slated to face off in a rematch election this year, mirroring 2020. The first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle will take place on June 27, with a second to follow in November.
The presidential race remains very tight, with the FiveThirtyEight’s national poll aggregator showing Trump leading Biden by 0.9 points, as of Wednesday evening.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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