Democratic Congressman Don Davis and Republican Senator Thom Tillis each weighed in Thursday on the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump in a hush money trial.

The former president, the first in the country’s history to be convicted of felonies, was found guilty of all 34 counts lodged against him.

“Our country operates under the rule of law,” Davis said in a brief statement. “The jury, with the most intimate knowledge of the case, has delivered its verdict, and former President Donald Trump now has the right to seek an appeal.”

Tillis said, “I am shocked by the verdict considering that this case should have never been brought forward. From the beginning, it was clear that a radical, politically-motivated state prosecutor was using the full weight of his office to go after President Trump at the same time he turned a blind eye to violent criminals.”

The senator said, “I expect and hope that President Trump will appeal this verdict to address fundamental questions, including whether President Trump received a fair trial and whether the Manhattan DA even had jurisdiction on a federal election matter.”

The Associated Press reported Thursday evening that Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11.

The AP reported that the trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, a porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.

The $130,000 payment was made by Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election. 

When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction. 

Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services, the news agency reported.

Multiple national news agencies reported the former president’s comment in which he said after leaving the courtroom, “This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”