Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, who is also a Republican, appealed to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over the New York Grand Jury’s impeachment of Trump as part of the investigation into the $130,000 “silence” payment to Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had extramarital sex. accused of interfering in the 2024 presidential election.
“Bragg has done irreparable damage to our country with his attempt to interfere in our presidential election.” McCarthy argued that the judiciary was militarized by Bragg against Trump.
“The American people will not tolerate this injustice, and the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power accountable,” McCarthy said. used the phrase.
Florida Governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, who is expected to run for the presidency, also argued that the rule of law is violated and that this is “not an American attitude”.
“The Manhattan District Attorney, supported by George Soros, has repeatedly bent the law to downgrade crimes and justify abuse,” DeSantis said. He claimed that Turmp, who is seen as a political rival, was targeted.
On the other hand, Governor DeSantis announced that the Florida administration would reject any request for Trump’s surrender, which has a mansion in Florida.
Nikki Haley, another Republican who’s officially running for President, said the impeachment of Trump was a matter of “revenge” rather than “justice.”
Investigation alleging “a political witch hunt”
Steve Scalise, the leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, also described the indictment against Trump as “fake” and “disgraceful” and shared the view that Democrats militarized the government to attack their political rivals.
While Republican lawmaker James Comer described the process as a “political witch hunt”, lawmaker Marjorie Taylor-Greene, who is known for her closeness to Trump, announced that she would go to New York on Tuesday and protest the “unconstitutional witch hunt”.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who called the incident “disgraceful” yesterday, said today that blaming Trump will only serve to further divide the United States.
On the other hand, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi argued that “no one is above the law” and argued that the Grand Jury acted within the law.
Saying that everyone has the right to appear in court to prove her innocence, Pelosi said: “Hopefully the former President will peacefully respect the system that gave him this right.” used the phrase.
President Joe Biden and the White House team declined to comment on the matter.
Trump says his accusation is ‘political’
Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, announced yesterday that the New York Grand Jury has prepared an indictment against Trump as part of the investigation into the payment of 130,000 dollars to Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had extramarital sex.
Trump described his accusation as “political” and argued that it was “interference in the elections”.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said the indictment was kept confidential, stating that his lawyer had been informed of Trump’s summons to appear in court to follow the proceedings.
The indictment against Trump is expected to be released on Tuesday, but officials have yet to make an official statement on the matter.
“Shush share” payment
Stormy Daniels argued that she signed an agreement in 2016 for a payment of 130,000 dollars to remain silent about her alleged sexual intercourse with Trump, but that it was invalid because it was not signed by Trump.
While Trump denied Daniels’ allegations, Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s lawyer before the 2016 election campaign, confirmed that he paid Daniels $130,000 from his own account on Trump’s behalf.
Cohen claimed that the Trump companies later repaid him about $420,000 in bonuses.
Detained in December 2018 on charges of “lying” and “tax evasion” in the investigation into Trump’s election campaign, Cohen was sentenced to 3 years in court and sent to federal prison in Otisville in May 2019 to serve his sentence.
In those years, federal prosecutors did not need to initiate any investigation against Trump, while the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office initiated what is known as the “shutdown” payment.
It is also said that Trump may be accused of violating campaign laws within the scope of his financial transactions.