Florida Republican Byron Donalds on Sunday urged the Supreme Court to hear former President Donald Trump’s case in New York, in which he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying company records.
“Speaker [Mike] Johnson, myself included, and many Americans believe the Supreme Court should intervene in this case,” Donalds told NBC News on Meet the Press on Sunday.
His comments come after Johnson told Fox News that the Supreme Court should look into the matter.
“There are still many developments to come, but I believe that the Supreme Court should intervene. This is obviously completely unprecedented,” Johnson told Fox & Friends shortly after Trump’s conviction.
Trump’s legal team has vowed to appeal his conviction, but there are appeals courts in New York that must review the case before it can be taken to the Supreme Court.
Donalds on Sunday referred to the lengthy appeals case in New York, calling it a reason why the Supreme Court should intervene sooner.
He called the case against Trump an attempt to “interfere” with his election campaign.
“This is being done for political purposes. Everyone knows how the legal system works in New York. The only possibility to undo this is in two or three years,” Donalds told moderator Peter Alexander.
“That’s why what happened in Lower Manhattan was an electoral hurdle,” he added.
Donalds is widely reported to be on former President Donald Trump’s short list of potential vice presidential candidates.
At an event in Michigan on Saturday, Trump told the crowd: “[Donalds] just happens to be on the list of potential vice presidents. Would anyone like to see him? I noticed your name is very high on the list.’
Asked Sunday if he would be willing to serve as commander-in-chief if necessary, Donalds said, “I think I would have the ability to step in.” I’m actually quite intelligent. I can sort through problems very well. It’s about judgment. It’s about logical flows. It’s about how you ultimately make decisions.”
He added: “I believe in myself 100%, I believe that, and so you know, we’ll see what President Trump decides. I will support everything he does.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
