In a new weekly feature, the Tribune Opinion team selects the best quotes of the week. See last week’s quotes here.
Just when you thought Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s flag-raising controversy would be national news this week, Donald Trump was found guilty Thursday of falsifying business records. In Illinois, a late-night budget meeting in Springfield featured choice remarks from both parties. The Cubs’ president urged fans to be hopeful after a tough May.
“I’m a completely innocent man. That’s fine. I’m fighting for my country. I’m fighting for the Constitution. The whole country is being rigged right now.”
– Donald Trump
Trump made the remarks Thursday after being convicted by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“I don’t know when that will be, but I’m sure we’ll come out of this and start scoring and then there will definitely be a sense of relief.”
— Cubs President Jed Hoyer
Per the Tribune, Hoyer was responding to the Cubs’ recent poor offensive performance, specifically their low power rankings.
“We did not select Michael Cohen as a witness. We did not have him in the witness shop. Defendants selected Michael Cohen as a fixer because he was willing to cheat and lie on their behalf.”
— Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass
Judge Steinglass made the remarks to jurors during closing arguments in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, The Washington Post reported, as he stressed that Trump’s legal team had tried to make the trial center on Cohen, but that this was not the case.
“They put a tuxedo on a misdemeanor and called it a felony.”
— Trey Gowdy, former U.S. Congressman
Gowdy spoke on Fox News after Trump’s conviction.
“I think it should be clear to everyone in this state what this supermajority is going to do at 4:30 in the morning to impose higher taxes on Illinoisans.”
— Illinois Congressman Patrick Windhorst
Windhorst, a Republican, made the remarks just before the Illinois General Assembly passed a $750 million tax increase bill that is part of the state’s $53.1 billion budget, the Tribune reported.
“My wife likes to fly the flag. I don’t.”
— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito
Democrats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives asked Judge Alito to recuse himself from cases involving former President Donald Trump, but Judge Alito responded in a letter refusing to do so.
“This is a trust-based business and I think the mayor has committed to more than just the bill.”
— Illinois Senate President Don Harmon
The Tribune reported that Governor Harmon blocked a vote on a bill that would have extended a moratorium on Chicago Public School closures after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson promised not to cut funding to choice schools in his district or close any schools.
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