House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of “an outrageous abuse of power” after former President Donald Trump claimed he would be arrested on Tuesday.
The California Republican called on Congress to immediately investigate possible electoral interference from “politically motivated prosecutions” against Mr Trump.
“Here we are again – an outrageous abuse of power by a radical prosecutor who is letting violent criminals free while pursuing political revenge on President Trump,” McCarthy wrote in a Twitter post Saturday. “I direct the relevant committees to immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to undermine our democracy by interfering with elections with politically motivated law enforcement.”
The former president cited leaked information from the Manhattan Attorney’s Office that signaled he would be arrested in the coming days.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Mr Trump urged his supporters to protest what he says is politically driven charges over alleged hush money payments in 2016.
A spokesman, Mr Bragg, declined to comment.
Mr. Trump would be the first former President in US history to face indictment if one were to be indicted.
Elise Stefanik, Chair of the House of Representatives Conference of Republicans, a New York Republican, warned that the impeachment would herald an ominous new era in American politics.
“This is un-American and the radical left has hit a dangerous new low for third world countries,” Ms. Stefanik said. “What these corrupt leftist prosecutors like Alvin Bragg and their socialist allies fail to understand is that the America First Patriots have never been more vigorous in exercising their constitutional rights to peacefully organize and vote at the ballot box to save our great republic .”
A spokesman for Mr. Trump said the former president had received no formal notification from prosecutors of an impending arrest “other than illegal leaks from the Justice Department and the Attorney’s Office to NBC and other fake news networks.”
“President Trump is right to assert his innocence and arming our injustice system,” the Washington Times spokesman said.
A Manhattan grand jury has heard witnesses as part of a multi-year probe into payments Trump allegedly made through his attorney Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal in 2016.
Mr Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating the Campaign Finance Act and lying to Congress, said the payouts were to buy her silence about past relationships with Mr Trump.
Mr Trump has denied the allegations, calling the investigation a “witch hunt”.
Ms Daniels has been meeting with prosecutors in recent weeks. Two of Mr Trump’s former advisers – former political adviser Kellyanne Conway and former spokeswoman Hope Hicks – have also met with prosecutors.
Police officers in New York have taken precautions against a possible indictment against Mr. Trump.
Mr. Bragg has not publicly announced a timeframe for the grand jury to complete its work on the case or a possible vote on whether to indict Mr. Trump.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who is challenging Mr Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, said a “Trump impeachment would be a national disaster”.
“It is un-American for the ruling party to use police power to arrest its political rivals,” Ramaswamy wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “This will mark a dark moment in American history and erode public confidence in our electoral system itself. I urge the Manhattan District Attorney to reconsider this action and set aside partisan politics in favor of preserving our constitutional republic.”
Others predicted that impeachment against Mr. Trump would cement his victory in 2024. Twitter owner Elon Musk predicted in a post on his platform, “If this happens, Trump will be re-elected in a landslide victory.”
Senator JD Vance, an Ohio Republican who received Trump’s support prior to his victory in the midterm elections in November, said: “A politically motivated impeachment makes the case for Trump stronger.
“We just don’t have a real country when justice depends on politics,” Mr. Vance wrote on Twitter.
Source : www.washingtontimes.com