Will County Board member Steve Balich, the Republican Leader on the board and also Homer Township supervisor, expressed outrage Thursday on the conviction of former President Donald Trump in New York.
“How can this happen in our country?” Balich said. “We had the greatest country in the world and now it stinks.”
Balich said the prosecution by the New York attorney general was politically motivated.
“I’m aggravated. I am totally appalled. New York is just an example of the scumbags running our country,” he said. “There’s no more rule of law. New York is just an example of how bad it is. They hate the guy, so they want to make sure he goes to jail.”
Balich, who has organized monthly rallies in support of Trump at the intersection of 143rd Street and Bell Road in Homer Glen, said he thinks the guilty verdict could encourage voters to support Trump in November.
“You can’t do this to people. The general population is mad. This is going to anger people so much,” he said. “They will come out of the woodwork to vote for Trump even if he is in jail.”
Christina Clausen, chair of the Will County Republican Central Committee, issued a statement saying the verdict represents a profound crisis for the democratic process.
“It is deeply troubling that in our supposedly free and fair society, a rogue judge and prosecutor can wrongfully condemn and imprison one of our greatest presidents,” Clausen said in the statement. “This outcome is a glaring instance of election interference, undermining the integrity of our Republic and equal justice. Every citizen should be outraged by this misuse of the judiciary to persecute political opponents.”
She said the case shows the judicial system can be rigged “against those who oppose the liberal Democrats and their goals.”
“Every citizen who cherishes fair and free elections should be outraged by this development,” Clausen said. “It is essential that we stand together, remain vigilant, and relentlessly defend our democracy to ensure that the will of the people prevails without undue influence or bias.”
Balich said the case would have been tossed out if Trump were tried in Texas or another state.
“To me, it’s like a big conspiracy to destroy the country. It’s so outrageous,” he said. “It’s all political. It’s stuff that happens in foreign countries. They call them banana republics.”
Balich said he wondered if President Biden would be tried in red states, such as for contributing to fentanyl overdoses due to his immigration policies.
Clausen said the verdict doesn’t diminish her support for the former president.
“I stand firmly with Trump, hoping justice will prevail and his innocence will be shown, proving the system is rigged against those opposing liberal Democrats,” she said.
Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon, a Democrat, said she received a lot of calls and text messages about the news that Trump was found guilty. She said the verdict proves the justice system is improving.
“I believe in being innocent until proven guilty, and now it’s proven. Justice was served. No one is above the law,” Gordon said.
Democratic State Rep. Will Davis of the 30th District said it was a sad day when a former president was found guilty of multiple felonies.
“I am certainly happy with the verdict, but overall it’s a sad state of affairs,” Davis said.
Former Cook County Commissioner Deborah Sims said justice was served.
“If that were you and I, we wouldn’t get away with it. I don’t think a former president should get away with it either,” Sims said. “We expect our president to be a person who does things right and serves the people.”
It is unclear, Gordon said, how the verdict will affect the November election because Trump supporters are loyal to him.
Alexandra Kukulka is a staff reporter. Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.
