Mass. GOP chair says Trump verdict appeal is certain and 'cards are cast' on party nomination

Former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felon. The verdict came down Thursday in his historic jury trial. Trump is expected to appeal, but that process likely will not play out until well past the November election.

For a look at how Trump's conviction may affect Republicans in Massachusetts, WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy speaks with Amy Carnevale, chair of the state's Republic Party.

Below are highlights from their conversation, lightly edited.

On why Carnevale called Trump's conviction a 'troubling moment' for the integrity of the U.S. judicial system

Carnevale: "Republicans generally think these charges should never have been brought in the first place. We think that if Donald Trump was not running for president, we would not have seen charges of this nature come before the courts.

"So the fact that he is being — he was convicted — and tried in the first place, we think was simply because of the fact that he was running for president. And that's really not how our courts should be used in America. Ultimately, elections should be up to the people. ... Now we see a case where a conviction is influencing the minds of many Americans, and we just think that's wrong."

On Carnevale's reaction to the idea that Trump's guilty verdict on all counts validates the pursuit of the charges and how Democrats say the verdict shows no one is above the law

Carnevale: "President Trump has made clear he is going to appeal the case. ... He's expressed confidence that an appeal will be successful. Obviously, we have no way of knowing, as analysts outside of the courtroom, whether that will be successful or not, but there's likely to be a long appeals process.

"And again, he's the only person to have been charged with falsification of records as [a] standalone felony. So, we think there's a likelihood — a certainty of appeal — and perhaps even a likelihood he could be successful. Again, this is going to tie up our courts, tie up our political system, and really tie Americans into knots as we're again headed into a difficult election season."

On how she thinks the verdict and likely appeals process will affect the state Republican Party

Carnevale: "As party chair, I'm really focused on candidates running here in Massachusetts at the state and local level, and encouraging them to talk about issues of concern to Massachusetts voters. And of course, that's the migrant crisis, that's inflation and the cost of living in Massachusetts.

"So those are really the two issues that I'm talking to candidates about, and I think that they want to talk about and be focused on as this presidential process plays itself out."

On whether she believes the trial's verdict has exacerbated tensions between the pro- and anti-Trump factions within the state's Republican Party

Carnevale: "The trial certainly will have the effect of having a lot of people dig in their heels. Opinions on Donald Trump are really kind of hard and fast. And it's sometimes tough to get people to think beyond the personality of Donald Trump and think about the policies that we experienced as Americans and as residents of Massachusetts when he was president.

"That's going to be a message that I'm going to continue to pitch to Massachusetts voters and to both Republicans and Democrats [to] think about the economy that we experienced while Donald Trump was president."

On whether she believes Trump, the GOP's presumed nominee for president, is still the best option for the party

Carnevale: "Well, really the cards are cast at this point, and I do think that Donald Trump continues to bring out kind of blue-collar voters, working Americans, who feel that they're not getting a good shot in our country today because of policies under [President] Joe Biden.

"So it's really up to those five key swing states that will make the decision about who's the next president of the United States. And many of those blue-collar Americans in those states continue to support Donald Trump, and so I do expect he will be our nominee this summer at the Republican National Convention."