‘An outrage’: Reactions to Donald Trump’s indictment

World
By William

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Grand Jury in Manhattan following an investigation into alleged hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, making him the first former US president to face criminal charges.

The allegations from an investigation led by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg come as Trump plans to reopen the Republican nomination in 2024.

Below are the reactions to the news of the indictment:

‘Political Persecution’: Donald Trump

Trump released a statement on his Truth Social platform shortly after the news broke.

“This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history,” Trump said.

“From the moment I descended the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the radical left Democrats — the enemy of this country’s hard-working men and women — have been on a witch hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”

“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession to ‘get Trump’, but now they’ve done the unthinkable: charge a completely innocent person in an act of blatant election interference,” he added.

“Florida will not cooperate with an extradition request”: Ron DeSantis

Florida governor and a potential challenger for the 2024 Republican nomination, Ron DeSantis, said the decision was “un-American.”

“Arming the justice system to advance a political agenda is turning the rule of law upside down. It’s un-American,” DeSantis wrote on Twitter.

“Florida will not cooperate with an extradition request given the questionable circumstances…”

‘An outrage’: Mike Pence on CNN

“This is a disgrace, but I also think that at a time when the American people are having such a hard time, this will only further divide our country,” former Trump vice president Mike Pence said in an interview with CNN.

“Trump is subject to the same laws as every American”: Democrat Chuck Schumer

“Mr. Trump is subject to the same laws as any American. He will be able to use the court system and a jury, not politics, to determine his fate based on the facts and the law,” Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate, said in a statement.

“I encourage both Trump’s critics and supporters to keep the process peaceful and within the law,” he added.

‘More about revenge than justice’: Nikki Haley

Trump’s former UN ambassador and Republican nominee candidate Nikki Haley said in an interview with Fox News that the indictment was more of a political move than a quest for justice.

“From everything I’ve seen of this New York district attorney, he would do something for political purposes. And I think what we know is that when you get involved in these kinds of political prosecutions, it’s more about revenge than justice,” Haley said.

“I think the country is better off talking about things that the American public cares about than having to get revenge from some political people in New York,” she added.

‘A sad day for America’: Rudy Giuliani

“This is a politically motivated attack against a man who stood up to those in power and the permanent political class in Washington,” Trump’s former attorney Rudy Giuliani said on Twitter.

“Nobody is above the law”: Nancy Pelosi

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said in a statement released Thursday that the jury “acted according to the facts and the law.”

“No one is above the law and everyone has the right to a trial to prove their innocence. Hopefully, the former president will peacefully respect the system that gives him that right,” Pelosi added.

“The charges… are unprecedented”: Adam Schiff

Democratic U.S. Representative Adam Schiff said the country must “hold the rich and powerful accountable.”

“The charges against a former president are unprecedented,” Schiff said on Twitter.

“But so is the illegal conduct that Trump has engaged in. A nation of laws must hold the rich and powerful accountable, even if they are in high office. Especially when they do. To do otherwise is not democracy,” he added.

This is ‘just the beginning’: Michael Cohen

According to a CNN report, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen said the indictment was “not the end of this chapter.”

“For the first time in the history of our country, a (current or former) president of the United States has been charged. I am not proud to make this statement and also want to remind everyone of the presumption of innocence; as provided by the due process clause,” Cohen said.

“However, I take comfort in 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. Now that the charges have been filed, it is better for the case to let the charges speak for themselves,” he added.

“Garbage”: Ted Cruz on Twitter

Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz took to Twitter and said this charge is “utter nonsense, baseless and frivolous.”

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