(TheConservativeNews.org) – On Thursday evening, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump in connection to alleged payouts made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The felony indictment was filed under seal by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, and is set to be announced in the coming days, four sources familiar with the matter told the New York Times.
At that point, prosecutors working under District Attorney Alvin Bragg will have asked for Trump’s surrender and to face arraignment for the currently unclear charges.
Since January, Bragg’s office has been presenting evidence of Trump’s involvement in a $130,000 payment to Daniels made by lawyer Michael Cohen.
In a letter released earlier this month dated February 8, 2018, it stated that it was Cohen who paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket.
“Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford,” the letter read, “and neither reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly.”
Cohen’s team went on to explain that, “neither Mr. Cohen nor Essential Consultants LLC made any in-kind contributions to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., or any other presidential campaign committee,” nor was Cohen a government employee at the time.
Republicans expressed outrage following the grand jury indictment. Many shared criticisms of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, asserting the case is “politically motivated.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL) tweeted, “The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American. The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent. Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.”
Taylor Budowhich, CEO of Make America Great Again Inc, called the news “the indictment of a failed nation” in an emailed statement:
This is not an indictment of a crime—there was no crime—instead, this news is the indictment of a failed nation. President Trump is promising to peacefully end the war in Ukraine, dismantle the deep state, and save our country by putting America first. For that, the political elites and powerbrokers have weaponized government to try and stop him. They will fail. He will be re-elected in the greatest landslide in American history, and together we will all Make America Great Again.
Vivek Ramaswamy, one of Trump’s Republican primary opponents, called the indictment “politically motivated,” adding that it “marks a dark moment in American history,” according to a release shared via email.
He added:
This indictment will undermine public trust in our electoral system and our justice system. It is un-American for the ruling party to use police power to arrest its political rivals. Principles go beyond partisanship. The American people should decide who governs, not politically ambitious prosecutors.
Our entire country is skating on thin ice right now and we cannot afford to politicize the justice system or else we will reach our breaking point. I pray for our national unity and call on every current and prospective Presidential candidate in both parties to condemn this dangerously politicized prosecution.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said, “Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election.”
Trump’s former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, argued Bragg is “undermining America’s confidence in our legal system.”
Eric Trump, the son of the 45th president, ripped the indictment as “third world prosecutorial misconduct” and “the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.”
Other prominent conservative voices chimed in to blast the indictment or reaffirm support for Trump:
