By Morgan Sweeney
(The Center Square) — The jury announced its verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial Thursday evening, and social media was set ablaze.
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records that could have been harmful to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Many of the commonwealth’s prominent government officials and elected representatives took to X, formerly Twitter, joining the chorus of voices weighing in on the verdict.
Most Republicans expressed distrust of the trial and its outcome, including Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Miyares blasted the trial as an illegitimate attempt at eliminating a powerful political opponent, reminding spectators of the case’s beginnings – when formidable American institutions declined to bring charges against Trump.
“In America, we don’t seek to jail political opponents – we seek to defeat them at the ballot box,” Miyares wrote. “To be clear, the FEC declined to prosecute this case. The US Attorneys Office declined to prosecute this case.”
He went on to take shots at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, lead attorney for the prosecution.
“This case was moved forward by a far-left prosecutor who regularly refuses to prosecute violent criminals but chose to move forward because the defendant was named Donald Trump.”
Despite his criticisms, Miyares still conveyed faith in the American justice system and the possibility of another outcome.
“America has the greatest justice system in the world – and that is partly because it has a robust appeals process. There is broad consensus that this case is riddled with potential reversible errors and should be appealed in an expedited manner and resolved as quickly as possible,” Miyares said.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears echoed Miyares’ sentiments while questioning why Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden haven’t been subject to similar legal battles.
“We know that the case was brought by a man bent on destroying another. This was not about justice – this was a mockery of justice,” Sears wrote.
“Where was the case against Hilary for ‘wiping’ her server? Where is the case against Pres Biden to determine his involvement in Hunter Biden’s business dealing with China and Russia?”
But Sears ultimately took the same hopeful note that Miyares did, turning to the appeals process.
“So the president will appeal and we will pray that righteousness and justice will prevail,” Sears said.
Though Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not comment on X by the time of publication, the Democratic candidate for governor for 2025, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7, did.
“We are a country of laws. Today, our justice system held someone accountable for his crimes,” Spanberger said, challenging her peers to trust the legal process and accept the verdict.
“In the wake of this verdict, responsible lawmakers must lead by example and not deny the truth or stoke anger. We must demonstrate principled leadership and uphold the rule of law,” she wrote.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-8, delivered a slightly more measured response.
“It is tragic that an American president has been convicted of crimes, but Donald Trump is responsible for his own actions. If a jury finds those actions were criminal after due process in a court of law, he must be held accountable. In the United States no one is above the law,” Beyer wrote.
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are tied at 42% each in a head-to-head matchup in Virginia. According to a Roanoke College Poll, Biden holds a slight lead (40%-38%) when other candidates are included. The survey of 711 likely voters conducted by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research between May 12 and May 21, 2024, shows that the economy is the top issue for 44% of respondents, followed by immigration (14%) and abortion (13%).
The latest poll shows Virginia voters could choose Trump, a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020. The tide has been turning for Trump in Virginia, as he won the state’s March 5 Republican Presidential Primary by nearly 30 points, a victory that many would go to then-challenger Nikki Hayley, the former South Carolina governor.
Locally, Haley won over Republican voters in deep blue Northern Virignia. However, for the first time since Trump began running for president in 2015, Trump posted a win in traditionally-blue Prince William County.
More from Roanoke College:
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are tied (42%-42%) in a head-to-head matchup in Virginia, while Biden holds a two-point lead (40%-38%) when other candidates are included, according to the Roanoke College Poll. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research (IPOR) at Roanoke College interviewed 711 likely voters in Virginia between May 12 and May 21, 2024. The survey has a weighted margin of error of 4.24%.
Two weeks before the June 18 Primary Election, U.S. Senator Rand Paul will headline a rally supporting Cameron Hamilton’s campaign for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. The event is set to take place at Gourmeltz restaurant, at 10013 Patriot Highway, on Monday, June 3.
Hamilton is running in a Republican Primary, hoping to become the party nominee to replace incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D), who will not seek reelection. Doors for the event will open at 3 p.m., with the rally scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Senator Rand Paul, known for his libertarian-leaning views and advocacy for limited government, individual liberties, and fiscal conservatism, will be the keynote speaker at the rally. Paul’s endorsement is expected to bolster Hamilton’s campaign, drawing attention to his platform and energizing voters in the final stretch before the primary.
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It’s obvious where Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine stands on abortion access. And that’s not just for the fact that his party has been outspoken in support of access and other reproductive rights. Kaine has also co-sponsored the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom For All Act — an attempt to codify abortion protections into federal law.
By Morgan Sweeney
(The Center Square) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive directive Thursday to assemble a task force to help address some controversial changes in the state’s latest budget to a decades-old educational assistance program for qualifying military families.
The task force would include veterans, families of service members killed in the line of duty, General Assembly members, and state public colleges and universities, who help fund the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program and approached the General Assembly due to rising program costs.
The program was established in 1996 to make higher education more accessible to spouses and dependents of those killed in military service, missing in action, prisoners of war, or who had sustained service-related injuries that left them 90% or more disabled by waiving tuition and mandatory fees. However, program participation has skyrocketed in recent years after eligibility was broadened, according to Youngkin, to a degree that may be unsustainable.
The just-passed budget narrows eligibility for the waiver component of the program to undergraduate programs, and people domiciled in Virginia, taking advantage of other benefits they might be eligible for and reaching specific academic benchmarks, jilting some military families and resulting in pushback from some lawmakers “on both sides of the aisle,” according to Youngkin.
“I am issuing this executive directive because it is vital that we study this issue and address it in a future budget to avoid any unintended consequences,” Youngkin said in a statement. “It is important that lawmakers review this issue so that we can provide a better path forward.”
The task force is to issue guidance on the changes to the program and make recommendations to the General Assembly on how it might be able to change eligibility language in the future while “balanc[ing] the need for long-term program sustainability with eliminating unreasonable barriers to the VMSDEP waiver or a survivor of dependents’ educational goals.”
Editors note: We blurred the faces of Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney's Office employees. We obtained and published the non-blurred image from a social media account maintained by a Commonwealth Attorney's Office employee. After publication, that employee asked us to remove the photo, citing the need to protect the employees' identities.
County records show that nine days before Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth threatened to stop prosecuting a wide-ranging number of cases due to what she called a funding shortage, Ashworth’s office spent nearly $3,500 in taxpayer funds to bring a local chef to perform a cooking demonstration for her staff at the Old Manassas Courthouse.
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With an eye toward future political aspirations, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D) of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is set to host a telephone town hall on Thursday, May 16, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
The town hall, a staple of political engagement for elected officials, comes following a security breach at Quantico Marine Corps Base, located within her district boundaries. On May 3, two men inside a box truck, claiming to work for Amazon, tried to run the gate and were stopped by military police, and turned over to ICE.
Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident.
Sources tell Potomac Local one of the men is on a U.S. terrorist watch list, and had crossed the southern border into the country just days before the incident. No one one was injured at Quantico. However, it comes after multiple, similar, deadly incidents at the White House and at other military installations in Virginia and California.
Spanberger, currently serving her second term in Congress, announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection to Congress. Instead, she has set her sights on the Virginia Governor’s mansion, with plans to run in the upcoming 2025 gubernatorial race.
Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident. On April 9, 2024, Potomac Local pressed Spanberger on whether or not, if elected governor in 2025, she would use the Virginia National Guard to assist Texas in securing the southern border. In response, she said the border is a federal issue, not a state issue, blamed House Republicans for not working with the president on his plan to secure the border, said “I’m working on it,” and jumped into an SUV and left the area.
In her announcement regarding the telephone town hall, Spanberger expressed her anticipation to engage with constituents, stating, “I look forward to hearing from you, answering your questions, and sharing updates about my work for Virginia.”
The telephone town hall offers multiple avenues for engagement for those interested in participating. Participants can dial in directly to the event at 833-380-0670 to listen live or pose questions directly to the congresswoman.
Additionally, for those preferring to watch the conversation unfold visually, Spanberger has provided online streaming options. The event can be viewed live at spanberger.house.gov/live or via her Facebook page.
Virginia State Police reported a collision on Interstate 95 late on May 8, 2024, involving Maria Martin, a candidate for U.S. Congress in the 7th District.
According to Virginia State Police, the incident occurred at 11:40 p.m. on Interstate 95 in Prince William County near exit 150, Quantico. Martin’s Ford F-150 drifted into the right lane and collided with a tractor-trailer. Martin was not injured.
She described the event as “very shocking” and recounted feeling “completely out of control” as her vehicle bounced multiple times.
Martin was returning to her home in Triangle after a day of using her pickup to erect campaign signs in the western areas of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District in Culepper and Greene counties. The sprawling district includes eastern Prince William County, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, and Fredericksburg. Martin also highlighted the diversity within the 7th District. “The 7th Distirct has two types of people,” she said, noting the contrast between the densely populated northeastern side and the agricultural lands in the west.
Martin’s vehicle sustained damage in the collision, and police cited her for making an unsafe lane change. The truck that hit her did not stop.
Authorities are still investigating the incident. Martin said she remains determined in her campaign for Congress and continues to advocate for the interests of the district’s residents. However, as her truck is undrivable, she might need the help of a volunteer with a pickup. Martin is one of eight Republicans running in a June 8 Primary Election seeking the 7th District seat.
The race is expected to be one of the most expansive this year, and the winner will replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger who opted to step down from the seat to run for Virginia Governor in 2025.
Martin has been a consistent candidate in multiple elections since 2019. Last year, the Prince William County Circuit Court tossed out Martin’s request for a recount after she lost a Republican Primary Election to Nicky Rattray Baldwin in a bid for a Virignia State Senate seat.
Longtime Manassas business owner Xiao Yin (pronounced Shee-ow Yin) “Tang” Byrom has announced her candidacy for the Republican ticket for Mayor of Manassas. She will challenge incumbent Michelle Davis-Younger, the Democratic Party nominee.
Highlighting her priorities, Yin emphasized two key initiatives aimed at addressing the pressing needs of Manassas residents. First, she stressed the importance of tackling turnover in key roles within the city.
