As former President Donald Trump indicated that he expected to be detained next week, Republican senators slammed the possibility of his being charged, calling it politically motivated and an abuse of authority.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) stated that he would direct the appropriate committees to investigate whether federal funds are being used to “subvert our democracy by interfering with elections through politically motivated prosecutions.”
McCarthy and other Republicans condemned the prospective charges after Trump tweeted early Saturday morning on Truth Social that “illegal leaks” indicate he would be detained on Tuesday. After inviting the former president to testify before the grand jury he assembled last week, Burr looks close to deciding whether to press charges against Trump. Trump’s counsel stated that he would decline the offer.
The district attorney’s office is examining a payment made by former Trump attorney Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence on an affair with Trump.
Cohen pled guilty in 2018 to a campaign finance violation arising from the payment and other counts and was sentenced to jail. Cohen has stated that he paid Daniels at the request of Trump. Trump has admitted to reimbursing Cohen for the money but stated that the transaction was unconnected to his campaign finances.
Trump Allies Join McCarthy in Denouncing Probe
Top Trump allies have denounced the investigation as politically motivated and sided with the former president, who has asserted he has done nothing wrong.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) stated that Trump will “win even more” if Bragg indicts him despite the fact that he “did nothing illegal.” She stated that any Republicans who support the “persecution” of the former president will suffer repercussions.
Several times, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has been asked if Trump’s indictment would force him to withdraw his support for him in the 2024 presidential race. Trump backed Vance as he was competing in the Ohio Republican Senate primary.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, stated in a statement that the “radical left” will have Trump imprisoned since they cannot defeat him in an election. She stated that this is “un-American” and “a terrible new low for Third World nations.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stated on Saturday at Vision 24, a conservative gathering in South Carolina, that Bragg had “done more” than anybody else in the country to assist Trump to win reelection.
He stated that the lawsuit is proceeding because “they fear Trump.” Conservative entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy described an indictment of Donald Trump as a “national tragedy.”
He said that indicting Trump would erode confidence in the country’s political system and that Bragg should reconsider his allegations. He contended that the case would not have resulted in criminal prosecution for anybody else and, at worst, would have been a misdemeanor.
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