ISLAMABAD: Top Republicans Sunday echoed Donald Trump’s claim that a likely to happen indictment in a case of hush-money would amount to political “persecution”, while Democrats warned his call for protests could lead to a repeat of chaos his fans unleashed at the US Capitol.
In an announcement Saturday, the ex-president said he expected to be “arrested” Tuesday in connection with an inquiry by a grand jury into a 2016 payment to an adult star, allegedly to prevent her from revealing a prior affair with Donald Trump.
Possible Republican rivals in the still-evolving 2024 presidential race also reacted sharply.
Trump’s former VP Mike Pence stated on ABC’s “This Week” program, “I’m taken aback at the idea of indicting an ex-president of the US at a time when NYC is facing a crime scene.”
Penc said, “It feels like a prosecution that is politically charged here. I just feel like it is just not what the Americans want to see.”
The Manhattan’s DA Office has yet to confirm any indictment plans, though multiple events, including the appearances in recent days of Trump’s ex-fixer Michael Cohen and the adult star famously known as Stormy Daniels before the grand jury, point toward a quick conclusion.
The president has denied any untoward involvement with Stormy Daniels. However, LEAs are making preparations for a possible indictment, with the chaos outside Manhattan’s criminal court a near-certainty if it actually happens.
Possible indictment of Trump could lead to political unrest
The sensational possibility of an ex-president being arrested, a historic first, has impassioned people and added uncertainty into the 2024 election campaign.
GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch supporter of Trump, term a possible indictment “an effort that’s ongoing, never-ending to destroy Donald Trump (the former president), everything around Donald Trump.”
Even outspken Trump critic Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, also a potential rival for the 2024 nomination, hinted that an indictment could lead to a powerful backlash.
Sununu stated at the CNN Sunday talk show “State of the Union” that
he thought it was building a lot of sympathy for Trump.
He added that it drastically changes the paradigm, as we (America) go into the ’24 election. He further stated, regarding the possible indictment, that it’s going to be a circus.
In response, Democrats said they feared Trump’s call could act as a provocation and lead to violence.
Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives’ ex-speaker, on Saturday termed Trump’s announcement “reckless,” and added that the former president was trying to “foment unrest among his fans.”
Democrat Mark Kelly recollected being in the Senate chamber at the time of the January 6 riots, which forced him and other lawmakers to look for shelter, and expressed worries that Trump calling for protests could spark life-threatening unrest once again.
