Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals react to former president’s indictment: ‘Politically motivated’

Several of Donald Trump’s declared and potential rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination have commented on the Manhattan grand jury’s indictment of the former president.

“The politically motivated indictment of the 45th President of the United States marks a dark moment in American history,” Vivek Ramaswamy said in a tweet.

Ramaswamy, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, best-selling author and conservative political commentator, announced his candidacy for 2024 last month and was outspoken in his criticism of the impeachment.

“It will erode public confidence in our electoral and judicial systems. It is un-American for the ruling party to use police force to arrest its political rivals. Principles go beyond partisanship. Let the American people decide who rules,” Ramaswamy said.

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Trump is the first former president in American history to be charged with a crime. The grand jury indictment is under wraps, but two law enforcement sources told Fox News the indictments were being filed.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has investigated Trump’s alleged involvement in hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 in an attempt to silence her ahead of this year’s presidential election over her claims that she had had sexual encounters with Trump years earlier. The former president denies sleeping with Daniels and denies falsifying business records to keep the payment a secret.

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Bragg has also investigated a $150,000 payment to a former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who announced her candidacy six weeks ago, wrote on Twitter that “this is more about revenge than justice.”

Her tweet featured a recent interview in Fox News’ Special Report.

Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations for the first two years of the Trump administration, told Fox News’ Brett Baier at the time that the impending indictment was a “political prosecution” and something Bragg “would do for political reasons.” “. .”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who remains on the sidelines in 2024 but is expected to launch a presidential campaign in the coming months, tweeted that “arming the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It’s un-American.

“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the statute to downgrade crimes and condone criminal misconduct,” the Florida governor said. “But now he’s stretching the law to attack a political opponent. Florida will not help an extradition request given the questionable circumstances surrounding this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence previously described the impeachment as a “politically charged indictment”.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter following the news of the indictment that “the Manhattan Attorney’s Office is undermining America’s confidence in our judicial system of all crimes committed.”

Pompeo, who served as CIA director and America’s top diplomat during the Trump administration, is seriously considering running for the GOP presidential nomination.

“The prosecution of serious crimes protects Americans, but political prosecution puts the American legal system at risk of being viewed as a vehicle for abuse. DA Bragg – Spend taxpayers’ money and your energies protecting law-abiding citizens. Don’t play politics,” said Pompeo, a Fox News contributor.

Asa Hutchinson, former two-year governor of Arkansas, said in a statement, “It’s a dark day for America when a former President faces criminal charges of innocence follows Mr. Trump.”.”

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“We must wait for the facts and for our American justice system to work as it works for thousands of Americans every day. Finally, it’s important that the decision on America’s next president is made at the ballot box, not in court. Donald Trump shouldn’t be the next president, but that should be decided by the voters,” added Hutchinson, who is taking steps to get one to launch the Republican presidential campaign.

This is an evolving story and will be updated.