The attorney representing adult film star Stormy Daniels, a central figure in the hush money inquiry, said Thursday the indictment indicated that “no one is above the law.”
“The indictment of Donald Trump is no cause for joy,” attorney Clark Brewster said. “The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected. Now let truth and justice prevail.”
– Kevin Johnson
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: House will hold DA Bragg ‘to account’
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., tweeted Thursday that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “irreparably damaged our country” and interfered in a presidential election.
“As he routinely frees violent criminals to terrorize the public, he weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump,” McCarthy tweeted. “The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.”
– Rachel Looker
Former House Speaker Pelosi: ‘No one is above the law’
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tweeted Thursday that the Grand Jury “acted upon the facts and the law” in Trump’s indictment.
“No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence,” she tweeted. “Hopefully, the former president will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.”
The former speaker clashed with Trump during his time as president and initiated two impeachment inquiries into the former president.
– Rachel Looker
Grand juries work in secret and only hear evidence from prosecution. There is no judge present in the proceeding. The grand jury’s vote to formally accuse someone of a crime is called an “indictment.” A grand jury also can vote to dismiss charges or accuse the person of a lesser offense.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, tweeted one word Thursday evening in response to the news of Trump’s indictment: “Outrageous.”
Jordan is one of three Republican House committee chairs who called for testimony from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The GOP chairs said they have concerns Bragg’s investigation of Trump would become “a politically motivated prosecutorial decision.”
House Republican Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana also called the indictment “outrageous.”
“The sham New York indictment of President Donald Trump is one of the clearest examples of extremist Democrats weaponizing government to attack their political opponents,” the House’s second-ranking Republican tweeted Thursday.
– Rachel Looker
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, who led the first impeachment against Trump over his dealings with Ukraine, called the indictment a “sobering and unprecedented development.” He said since Cohen went to prison for the hush money payment, it was just that Trump be charged for directing the payment. Schiff said “more grievous” charges are possible from Justice Department special counsel’s investigation and a Georgia district attorney’s inquiry.
“If we are to be a nation of laws, then we must apply the law equally and to everyone, regardless of their station,” Schiff said. “To do otherwise, because holding a president accountable is controversial or provocative, will not bring order, but breed disorder, and disrespect of the law.”
– Bart Jansen
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s best-polling Republican opening, is backing him on the New York indictment.
“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head,” DeSantis said in a statement. “It is un-American.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct,” DeSantis said. “Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”
DeSantis also repeated that he would not help New York with any extradition request.
“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances,” DeSantis said.
– David Jackson
Allies of Trump are denouncing the indictment, saying that it’s an effort to stop the former president from being reelected.
Taylor Budowich, head of a pro-Trump organization called Make America Great Again Inc., said in a statement Thursday said there “was no crime” and instead is “the indictment of a failed nation.” Budowich added that he believes the indictment will fail and Trump will be reelected.
“President Trump is promising to peacefully end the war in Ukraine, dismantle the deep state, and save our country by putting America first,” Budowich said in a statement. “For that, the political elites and powerbrokers have weaponized government to try and stop him.”
– Rebecca Morin
Michael Cohen, Trump’s lawyer and a key witness in the grand jury investigation, says Trump’s indictment is only the beginning of a new chapter in the former president’s legal saga.
“Now that the charges have been filed, it is better for the case to let the indictment speak for itself,” Cohen said in a written statement. “The two things I wish to say at this time is that accountability matters and I stand by my testimony and the evidence I have provided.”
Cohen began by noting that Trump is the first president in history to be indicted. “I take no pride in issuing this statement,” he said, “and wish to also remind everyone of the presumption of innocence; as provided by the due process clause.”
Cohen added that “I do take solace in validating the adage that no one is above the law; not even a former President. Today’s indictment is not the end of this chapter; but rather, just the beginning.”
– David Jackson
Matt Dallek, a presidential historian, said the indictment marks an inflection point in American democracy, and will test the system of equal justice under the law as perhaps no other case in recent history.
“The indictment is good news for democracy, but it also reflects the turmoil and the challenges that Trump has posed to our system of governance, so it cuts both ways,” Dallek said. “It’s significant because he is the first president or former President to be indicted. But it also raises the fundamental question of can he get a fair trial? And can the trial proceed without significant outbreaks of violence? And that’s going to be a test for the rule of law in America and the stability of the two-party political system.”
– Josh Meyer
