The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump bought fingers flying throughout keyboards on Thursday night time, as main Democrats and Republicans, authorized consultants and different notables hit social media to answer a former POTUS going through felony prices for the primary time ever.
The particular prices remained sealed as of publication time, however Trump responded with a press release calling the indictment “political persecution” and the results of a “witch hunt.”
Read extra: Donald Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels case — first former U.S. president to ever be criminally charged
And: Why was Trump indicted? And who’s Stormy Daniels, once more?
He additionally accused Democrats of “weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent,” which was a chorus picked up by many Republicans. This contains House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has been investigating Trump’s potential involvement in hush cash funds to a porn star and a Playboy mannequin, of abusing his energy.
Also within the “weaponizing our Justice Department” camp had been Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considered one of Trump’s potential major rivals for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, who known as the indictment “un-American” on Twitter.
GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel stated extra of the identical, and Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan known as the Trump indictment “outrageous.”
Eric Trump, the previous president’s son, tweeted that this was “prosecutorial misconduct.”
But Mary Trump, the previous president’s niece who has been a vocal critic of her government uncle, had a reasonably pithy tweet. “I think it’s time to say ‘Uncle,’” she wrote.
The indictment additionally spurred some celebratory reactions from Trump critics on-line, nonetheless, main hashtags equivalent to #LockHimUp to pattern on Twitter.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, tweeted that whereas the indictment of a former president is “unprecedented,” so was Trump’s alleged “unlawful conduct.”
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., echoed that sentiment, including: “This is a somber moment for America. We should let the judicial system do its job without interference.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted: “No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.”
Democratic New York Rep. Dan Goldman, who served as lead counsel within the first impeachment trial of Trump, gave a press release saying that “no person is above the law.” He stated that elected officers on each side ought to “make unequivocally clear that there is no room for political violence or interference.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a former federal prosecutor, stated the justice system has an obligation to pursue the info and regulation wherever they lead. “Former President Trump will have the same rights as any criminal defendant and the justice system will presume him innocent until proven guilty,” he stated.
Yusef Salaam, one of many exonerated males from the Central Park 5 wrongly accused of brutally raping a lady within the Eighties, famous in a press release shared on Twitter that Trump has by no means apologized for taking out a full web page advert within the New York Times calling for the loss of life penalty for Salaam and the opposite younger males — who had been youngsters on the time.
“Karma,” he wrote.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, additionally recalling Trump’s therapy of Salaam and the now “Exonerated 5,” launched a press release saying “What goes around comes around.”
Bestselling horror creator Stephen King additionally repeated the “Karma” name.
But the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, one of many two girls who acquired the hush cash on the middle of the indictment investigation, tweeted that this really wasn’t a trigger for celebration.
“The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected,” he stated. “Now let truth and justice prevail.”
Associated Press reporting contributed to this text.
More on MarketWatch:
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