The historic announcement Thursday that a New York grand jury has returned an indictment against former President Donald Trump has sparked strong reactions from the political world.
The grand jury voted to indict Trump after investigating a silent $130,000 payment his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election – after she claimed having had an affair with Trump, which he denied.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg made the decision to summon the grand jury. His office confirmed Thursday evening that it had contacted Trump’s legal team to coordinate his surrender, according to The Associated Press. The exact charges remain under seal. Yet they are historic as Trump is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges. In a statement On Thursday, Trump denied any wrongdoing and called the indictment a “political persecution.”
Reaction to the indictment was swift, with many comments going in favor of the parties.
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California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, a longtime Trump foe, applauded the grand jury’s decision.
“So Trump has finally been indicted! I predicted he would and I predicted Stormy Daniels would! Sometimes justice works! Waters tweeted.
In an interview with Los Angeles radio station KNX on Thursday, Waters said Trump “deserved” the indictment.
“I was looking forward to the indictment,” she said. “An action has taken place that is the first of its kind, and Mr. Trump has earned it.”
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tweeted“No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove their innocence. Let’s hope that the former president will peacefully respect the system, which grants him this right.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer writing on Twitter: “Donald Trump is subject to the same laws as all Americans. He will be able to rely on the judicial system and a jury, and not on politics, to determine his fate according to the facts and the law.
Across the aisle, Republican leaders stood up for Trump.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy specifically criticized the Manhattan District Attorney.
“Alvin Bragg irreparably damaged our country by trying to interfere in our presidential election,” McCarthy said. tweeted. “While he routinely releases violent criminals to terrorize the public, he has weaponized our hallowed justice system against President Donald Trump.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who plans to run for the White House in 2024 against Trump, called the indictment an “outrage” during an interview with CNN.
“I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” pence said. “For millions of Americans, this seems like nothing more than a political pursuit by a prosecutor who literally ran for office promising to indict the former president.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also expected to launch a presidential bid, tweeted“The militarization of the legal system to advance a political agenda disrupts the rule of law. It’s not American.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Trump ahead of DeSantis – with the former president receiving support from 44% of Republicans, compared to 30% for DeSantis.
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