RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump Criticizes Maryland GOP Senate Candidate Larry Hogan for Supporting Hush Money Verdict

On Sunday, Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, attacked Maryland Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan for telling people to respect the decision in the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump. Hogan was responding to Trump’s call for people to respect the verdict.

At a CNN show called “State of the Union,” Lara Trump said, “Well, I’ll tell you one thing: I don’t agree with what he just said.” I believe it’s silly, and I believe that anyone who doesn’t speak out against something that should never have been tried in the first place and would never have been brought against anyone but Donald Trump doesn’t deserve respect from anyone.

In her words, “He doesn’t deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party at this point.” “And honestly, anyone in the United States if that’s how you feel.” That makes me very sad to hear that.

Lara Trump was asked if the RNC would give up the Maryland Senate spot to the Democrats and not back Hogan’s campaign. She said that the committee wants the Republican Party to win, but that Hogan’s comments are “shameful” and that “he should have thought long and hard before he said that in public.”

When asked again if the RNC would use the party’s resources to help Hogan’s bid for the Senate, Lara Trump avoided the question and said more bad things about Hogan’s words.

“Well, I’ll get back to you with all the financial details.” “As co-chair of the Republican Party, I think he should never have said that, though,” she said. “That seems silly to me.”

In an open letter to X last week, Hogan, who used to be governor of Maryland and is a strong Trump critic, asked “all Americans to respect” the decision in Trump’s silence money trial.

A post on X last week by Hogan said, “I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process, no matter what the result is.” “At this very dangerous point in our history, leaders of all parties must not add to the division by being even more partisan.” The rule of law is what has made this country great, and we need to say it again.

When asked for a comment, Hogan’s Senate campaign did not reply right away.

Chris LaCivita, a top Trump campaign aide, said similar things last week, and the RNC co-chair said them on CNN this week. LaCivita wrote on X that Hogan’s campaign for the Senate “ended” when he told people to “respect the verdict and the legal process.”

During her CNN interview, Lara Trump also wouldn’t say how much money has been raised to pay for the former president’s legal bills.

On Sunday, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee said that voters had “spoken with their wallets and pocketbooks.” He also said that the RNC had raised about $70 million online in the first 48 hours after Trump’s decision.

An RNC co-chair was asked how much of that money would be used to pay for the former president’s legal bills. They said they would have to “wait and see.”

“Well, when people donate to our joint fundraising agreement, they can choose not to,” she said. “That is a very small amount of the money we make.” So, I guess we’ll have to wait and see what needs to be done in the future.

“It’s clear that this has cost a lot, not just for Trump and his campaign but for the whole country,” she said. “I think this is an awful stain on our country.” We’ll do everything we can to make sure the right thing happens on November 5, because that’s when the final decision will be made.

Governor Wes Moore, D-Md., talked about what his predecessor said and how the Trump campaign reacted in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.”

“I think the old governor is learning that this is going to be a challenging race for him because as James Baldwin said, you know, I can’t believe what you say because I see what you do,” said Moore.

Moore quickly changed the subject to compare Hogan’s record to that of Democrats, like Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic candidate, whom Moore has backed.

In general, Maryland is a safe state for Democrats. However, this year’s Senate race is seen as a bit more competitive because Hogan is well-known in the state and Sen. Ben Cardin is leaving. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter says that the vote is expected to go to the Democrats.