Former President Donald Trump has become the first-ever former US president to face criminal charges after a New York grand jury indicted him on Thursday. The charges relate to an investigation into hush money payments made prior to the 2016 presidential election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. While many celebrity critics have expressed their joy at the news, top Republicans from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have rallied around Trump and condemned the indictment as political persecution.
McCarthy targeted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a tweet, accusing him of “routinely” freeing “violent criminals to terrorize the public”. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan responded with a one-word tweet. Two of Trump's children also weighed in on Twitter, with Eric Trump calling it "third world prosecutorial misconduct" and Donald Trump Jr. claiming his father’s opponents are "willing to turn us into a Banana Republic".
The indictment remains sealed but prosecutors were widely expected to pursue a misdemeanor falsifying business records charge against Trump. However, sources suggest that more than 30 criminal charges could be included in the sealed indictment. The Wall Street Journal reported that Bragg's office is investigating an alleged $150,000 payment made by Michael Cohen, then-Trump's lawyer, to Karen McDougal.
While left-wing users praised the news of Trump’s indictment on social media platforms such as Twitter; conservative media personalities blasted it as politically motivated. Sen Ted Cruz and Sen Josh Hawley joined DeSantis and McCarthy in criticizing what they see as Soros-backed legal action against a political opponent.
Trump himself reacted defiantly on Twitter claiming that this was “Political Persecution” and predicting that “this Witch-Hunt” will backfire on Democrats who he claims are interfering with elections at "the highest level in history."