Trump NY grand jury indictment: former president expected to surrender to DA's office next week
Former President Trump is accused of making hush money payments to boost his 2016 White House run, in a case could have implications for his 2024 run.
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Newt Gingrich, who served as Speaker of the House in the late 90s, said Nancy Pelosi completely misread the Constitution when she stated former President Trump has a right "to prove innocence" in trial following his indictment.
"In totalitarian states you are guilty until proven innocent. In America you are innocent until proven guilty. She turned the American system upside down," he wrote.
NANCY PELOSI ROASTED OVER TRUMP INDICTMENT TWEET SAYING HE HAS A RIGHT ‘TO PROVE INNOCENCE’ AT TRIAL
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., released a statement Thursday night commenting on the indictment of former President Donald Trump – one that has raised eyebrows due to its blatant inaccuracy on the rule of law in the United States.
"The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law," Pelosi wrote. "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."
TRUMP INDICTED AFTER MANHATTAN DA PROBE FOR HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS
She also tweeted the same statement, resulting in major backlash from hundreds of users who reminded her that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty in America – not the other way around.
Kari Lake, the Trump-backed Arizona gubernatorial candidate in 2022, was active on Twitter late Thursday night following news of President Donald Trump's indictment.
Sharing an edited picture of Trump laughing at a newspaper with a "Trump Indicted" headline, Lake captioned the post with "Mood."
Earlier in the evening, Lake shared more serious thoughts on the indictment, calling those who have attacked Trump over the past eight years "unAmerican losers" and describing the former president as "the one man who has put this country first."
"Frankly, Americans are sick & tired of the Witch Hunt. We love America and we want Trump," Lake wrote.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., criticized the political pursuit of former President Donald Trump on "The Ingraham Angle" Thursday night, hours after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him.
The Florida congressman said the decision by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to continue "this terrible witchhunt" against Trump is "clearly political" and "frivolous," adding that it "seems to leave the nation on edge."
Former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by President Trump on May, 9, 2017, tweeted a short, but clear message late Thursday night. Hours after the former president's indictment in Manhattan, he wrote "It's been a good day."
Comey was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans after addressing Hillary Clinton's email scandal during the 2016 presidential election. He became a staunch critic of Trump after his dismissal from the bureau.
TRUMP WARNS THAT HE 'CANNOT GET A FAIR TRIAL IN NEW YORK' AFTER INDICTMENT ON 'DISGRACEFUL' CHARGES
"This pro-criminal New York DA has failed to uphold the law for violent criminals, yet weaponized the law against political enemies.
This is a travesty and it should not be happening in the greatest country on Earth. The presumption of innocence is central to our legal system, yet is selectively discarded by those on the far left today.
As I travel the country, I hear from families starving for truth. They're starving for hope. They want the rules to apply to everyone."
Scott, a rising star in the GOP and the only Black Republican in the Senate, is seriously considering a run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
The Manhattan grand jury indictment Thursday night of former President Donald Trump is sparking new scrutiny of the George Soros-supported district attorney who led the investigation into Trump's alleged violations of state campaign finance laws.
The former president is expected to surrender to District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office early next week, following his indictment stemming from Bragg's investigation into Trump's alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Former President Donald Trump's campaign and Senate Democrats' campaign arm immediately began fundraising after a New York grand jury voted to indict the former president Thursday.
"We are living through the darkest chapter of American history," the Trump 2024 campaign stated in an email sent moments after the indictment. "The Radical Left - the enemy of the hardworking men and women of this country - have INDICTED me in a disgusting witch hunt. Alvin Bragg, the Soros-funded District Attorney behind the indictment, relied on the testimony of a convicted felon and a disbarred lawyer."
“What was once the most respected and revered district attorney’s office in the nation has been fully bastardized by an opportunistic politician seeking, like many others, to cash in on the Trump brand,” former President Trump's attorney Chris Kise said in a statement.
“The complete lack of legal basis, coupled with the politically targeted nature of the prosecution, should strike fear into every citizen in this country irrespective of their views of President Trump.”
Former President Donald Trump addressed his supporters in a late-night video Monday, when he maintained his innocence amid ongoing legal fights.
In a post on Truth Social , Trump called the "four horrible, radical, left Democratic investigations of your all-time favorite president" just an extension of the "most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country."
The former president specifically referenced his ongoing legal fight in New York with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld explains why Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's potential indictment of former President Donald Trump "should be pretty chilling to everybody" Wednesday on "The Five."
GREG GUTFELD: This reminds me of the nor'easters that never come. You know, you board up the windows, you buy a case of Poland Spring, and then it doesn't show up. I mean, here's a possibility: Did Trump just prank these morons? Because this really looks like Christmas for morons. You know, he's the guy who kicked this off, right? The press fell in line. They lapped it up. They had one collective orgasm. They... you could even tell Joe Scarborough, the morning Beavis, he even could tell how stupid he sounded. And I like this case because it did separate the idiots from the intellects. It's not down party lines at all. It's like on the right and the left, the people with working brains unclouded by ego or ratings saw it for what it is.
"Today's indictment of former President Donald Trump is an unprecedented, politically driven assault on the rule of law, exemplifying selective and malicious prosecution. The New York District Attorney's office leaks confidential information to the media, granting more due process notice to the New York Times than to the former President himself. As three House Committees investigate this politically motivated misconduct, it's ironic that Alvin Bragg, known for downgrading violent felonies to misdemeanors, now fabricates a felony from a non-existent misdemeanor to target Trump. We must stand against this abuse of power and uphold fairness and justice," said Harmeet Dhillon, founder of Dhillon Law Group.
“If this manufactured indictment becomes the norm — and it surely will, based on history — no American, let alone American politician, will be safe from a baseless political prosecution by any state prosecutor looking to make his or her name, bringing this country one step closer to banana republic status. Setting aside partisan politics, this is a terrible day for our country and for citizens’ respect for the integrity of our legal system.”
Dhillon Law Group is part of the legal team for former President Trump.
“Today’s indictment of President Trump is political persecution masquerading as law," said Senator J.D. Vance, R-Ohio. "Donald Trump is the former President of the United States, the leader of our nation’s political opposition, and the presumptive Republican nominee in 2024. Alvin Bragg’s decision to indict him is blatant election interference and a direct assault on the tens of millions of Americans who support him.
"To make matters worse, this entire charade is predicated on an unprecedented, doomed-to-fail legal theory and a baseless misdemeanor charge from seven years ago.
"While the radical left continues their obsession with harassing Donald Trump, the American people are suffering. Families are struggling to put food on the table, violent crime is running rampant in our cities, and thousands have been poisoned by the fentanyl pouring across our southern border.
"Instead of working to improve the lives of the Americans they are supposed to represent, the ruling party is focused on kneecapping their greatest threat in the next election. The American people will see this for exactly what it is: a grave miscarriage of justice."
“This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal. Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected," said a spokesperson from the DA's office.
Former President Donald Trump would make history again if he were to become the first president to be indicted in a criminal case.
While an indictment for any alleged crime, followup arrests and court hearings may sound like a death knell for a politician on the ballot, Trump is far from a normal politician.
The former president has long thrived on chaos and turmoil as he’s successfully portrayed himself to his supporters as a victim of the establishment, the "deep state," and liberal forces.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating the hush money payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal before the 2016 presidential election in addition to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, a source familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.
Hush money payments made to both McDougal and Daniels were revealed and reported by Fox News in 2018. Those payments had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission.
Popular radio host Charlamagne Tha God dumped cold water over the potential arrest of former President Donald Trump this week, noting he doesn’t believe that Trump will be arrested thanks to the potential charges being "weak as f---."
He also complained that Trump's continued freedom means that America's system of checks and balances has failed somewhere along the way.
The host made the comments during an episode of "Brilliant Idiots," the podcast he co-hosts with comedian Andrew Schulz.
"Nothing really changed; Trump just went from going to be indicted to actually indicted... we've answered this question in the former," a spokesman for former Vice President Mike Pence said in reaction to Trump's indictment.
"These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just [INDICTED] the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President," former President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
"THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. IT IS LIKEWISE A CONTINUING ATTACK ON OUR ONCE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. THE USA IS NOW A THIRD WORLD NATION, A NATION IN SERIOUS DECLINE. SO SAD!"
Some of former President Trump's biggest critics in the Democratic Party raced to weigh in on his historic indictment just minutes after former President Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday evening.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and a vocal opponent to Trump when he was in office, reacted with glee on Twitter.
"SO Trump finally got indicted! I predicted he would and I predicted that Stormy Daniels would get him! Sometimes justice works!" Waters wrote.
“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down 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 the hard-working men and women of this Country - have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable - indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.
“Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done. The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.
“Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who was hand-picked and funded by George Soros, is a disgrace. Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on. This is how Bragg spends his time!
“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden . The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party - united and strong - will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these Crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted as part of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office's years-long investigation, possibly for hush money payments.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush money payments made leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Bragg is investigating the $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Bragg is also investigating the $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal , Fox News Digital has learned.
Hush money payments made to both McDougal and Daniels were revealed and reported by Fox News in 2018. Those payments had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Stormy Daniels payment in 2019, even as Cohen implicated him as part of his plea deal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.
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