Here’s what Sen. Marco Rubio said about Donald Trump during the heated phase off the 2016 presidential campaign: “I would prefer not to get into a fight with other Republicans. But I would much more prefer not to turn over the party to a con artist like Trump.”

Marco spoke with wisdom back then, but now he’s sold his soul to the con man. Here’s what he had to say after Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records by a jury in New York: “This is the quintessential show trial. This is what you saw in communist countries.”

Here’s what Rev. Franklin Graham, an evangelical leader and a diehard Trump supporter, said before the jury rendered its verdict. “Today is day two of jury deliberations in the trial of former President Donald Trump. Pray that God will give members of the jury wisdom and insight to know the truth.”

And here’s what Graham said after the verdict was announced. “What we saw today has never happened before, and I think for the majority of Americans it raises questions about whether our legal system can be trusted. Pray for our nation, for God’s guiding hand that this republic will be one nation under God.”

Attorney George Conway responded to Graham’s defense of Trump with humor. “Please pray that God reserves our right to pay off porn stars to hush them up and to create fake records to cover up the payoff. Amen.”

In my view, the promoter of the Prince of Peace might better be called the defender of the King of Con. Sadly, the overwhelming majority of white Christian evangelicals will side with Graham — and Trump.

Republican leaders in Congress were quick to blame the judicial system for the verdict.

“It was all political.” “Biden was behind it all.” “The system was rigged.” These are all false claims, but never mind.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins showed her true colors (yellow) by claiming that the trial was totally political. I guess she’s trying to sneak her way back onto the GOP (MAGA) bus after having declared she won’t vote for Trump. Sorry, Susan, you’re fooling nobody. We already knew who you were.

Larry Hogan, GOP candidate for senate in Maryland was taken behind the wood shed for saying before the verdict, “We should respect the verdict.” How dare he! Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee warned, “Hogan doesn’t deserve the respect of anyone in the Republican Party.”

It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature and it’s political death not to support Donald Trump to the end, whatever that end may be.

What will these self-professed “patriots” say when the other three major Trump legal cases come to trial? You can bet the farm that they’ll say Trump speaks the truth. He never does anything wrong, and everyone else is lying? Cult experts will tell you that when you’re in a cult you accuse everyone else of lying

I fear for the safety of Andrew Hitt, who was Chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election. Hitt worked tirelessly around the clock to help Trump get elected. He believe Trump lost the Wisconsin vote fair and square but was pressured by national GOP leaders to help create a fake set of electors so that the Wisconsin results could be overturned. (Watch a replay of Hitt’s appearance on “60 Minutes” on June 2.)

Hitt deeply regrets his willingness to be bullied into participating in the scheme. In fact, he will not support Trump in 2024. Again, here’s a guy who did everything possible to help Trump win.

Even the ethically flexible Attorney General Bill Barr refused to obey Trump’s orders to go after Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. That refusal cost Barr his job.

A recent piece in the New York Times (“Loyalists See a Verdict’s Rejection of Trump as a Rejection of Themselves”) included telling quotes from Trump supporters.

For example, “Trump is an honest man, a gentleman who does not flaunt his wealth. He’s cloaked in Godly armor.” (Those words were spoken by a former pastor.)

And here’s another: “When Trump does get back in there, he’ll need to get rid of the FBI, get rid of the CIA, get rid of the Department of Justice.”

Trump, of course, uttered the most telling response to the verdict, which he blamed, no surprise, on Democrats or New York City or the justice system — anyone but himself. ”These people are sick. They are deranged. You know I talk about the enemy on the outside and the enemy from within. Democrats are an enemy from within.”

He also claimed that he never said “Lock her up,” referring to Hillary Clinton. Another lie. He praised himself for not doing so after he was elected.

It’s time to make a choice, America. What will we choose?

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.