Trump Aide to Hogan: 'You Just Ended Your Campaign'

For allies of Donald Trump, "respect the verdict" appears to be the new "Biden won the election." After Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies on Thursday, a senior Trump adviser quickly went after former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on that front, Axios reports.

• "Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process," Hogan, a Republican and Senate candidate, said in a post on X soon after the verdict came in. "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."
• "You just ended your campaign," Trump adviser Chris LaCivita posted in response.

• Hogan is vying to become the first Republican to represent Maryland in the Senate since the 1980s, and analysts believe he has a chance of flipping the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring at age 80. In November, Hogan will face Democratic rival Angela Alsobrooks.
• The Daily Beast notes that Hogan, who was governor from 2015 to 2023, "already stands apart from most of his own party." He frequently criticized Trump while in office and has said he won't vote for him in November.
• GOP Sen. Steve Daines, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, tells Fox News that he will continue supporting Hogan. "I still think Larry Hogan will flip Maryland," Daines says. "Larry Hogan is gonna run his campaign. Run his race. President Trump will run his race. I thought that the trial was a complete sham."
• The Hill reports that LaCivita and Rep. Matt Gaetz, among others, also attacked the College Republicans after the group urged people to respect the verdict. "Today's convictions are the result of a politically motivated prosecution, but a verdict was handed down by jurors whose decisions were made in accordance with our criminal justice system," the group said in a post on X. LaCivita replied: "Opinions are like a--holes …everyone has one."

(More Larry Hogan stories.)