The GOP: How Republican lawmakers are reacting

Some Republican lawmakers are criticizing the Manhattan grand jury’s Thursday indictment of Donald Trump. Here’s what they’re saying:

Sen. John Cornyn, a member of Senate GOP leadership, told CNN the Trump indictment “looks to me like this is an opportunity for this [district attorney] to try to make headlines and gain publicity.”

Rep. James Comer: The House Oversight Chairman attacked the “political witch-hunt” of former President Donald Trump the day after he was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“One thing that we’re concerned about in Washington, Congressman Jordan and myself, is if there is coordination being conducted here between Merrick Garland, DOJ and all these different entities that are going after Donald Trump,” Comer told Fox on Friday. “This is a political witch-hunt, they are doing everything in their ability to create a narrative that would hurt Donald Trump.”

Comer told CNN that Bragg’s investigation “a political stunt.”

Before the indictment, Comer and two other House Chairman sent a letter requesting testimony and information from Bragg on his investigation. 

Sen. John Barrasso: The Senate GOP Conference Chairman called the indictment a “political hit job” in a statement to CNN. 

“This is a politically-motivated prosecution by a far-left activist. If it was anyone other than President Trump, a case like this would never be brought. Instead of ordering political hit jobs, New York prosecutors should focus on getting violent criminals off the streets,” he said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: The key Trump ally, who is also close to House GOP leadership, tweeted that she plans on traveling to New York City on Tuesday to protest Donald Trump’s indictment – the latest sign of how Republicans are racing to defend the former president.

Greene serves on the House Oversight Committee, one of the key committees trying to investigate the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, and told CNN she regularly keeps Trump up to date on their investigative priorities.

Rep. Mike Johnson: Johnson, a member of House Republican leadership, attacked Bragg and said the indictment “all but ensured” former President Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.

“The person denigrating integrity, the integrity of our entire judicial system is Alvin Bragg, this Soros-funded political activist who is occupying the Manhattan DA’s office,” said Johnson on Fox News on Friday. “He’s spending all his time and resources going after the former President. Why? The timing is important, because the President has announced he is running again.”

The indictment has “ensured” that Trump will be the Republican presidential nominee “and likely get reelection” in 2024, Johnson added.

Rep. Barry Moore, a conservative Republican who has endorsed Trump, defended Republicans who have attacked Bragg before seeing any evidence against Trump. Moore said the indictment “smells pretty fishy.”

Asked if he would consider re-evaluating after seeing evidence, Moore replied, “I’m open to thinking that. But I’m in the garbage business, you know, and so a lot of times, I know how to spot a pile of garbage, and this thing looks like a pile of garbage.”

He predicted that the indictment could actually help Trump’s presidential chances. Moore himself was indicted and eventually found not guilty on perjury charges in 2014, when he was a member of the Alabama State House.

“After I was indicted, that weekend, we had more people knock doors than any time in our campaign,” he added. “… We did, because the people saw it for what it was. I think the American people see this for what it is.”

Read more reactions here.

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik has been in contact with former President Donald Trump since he was indicted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

CNN previously reported that Trump had been calling up allies, including members of GOP leadership and key committee members, to shore up support on Capitol Hill in the wake of his indictment, and he has told them he plans to fight the charges. 

Stefanik, the number-four House Republican, continues to be the highest-ranking House Republican to endorse Trump for his 2024 presidential bid and has been a key ally to the former president. At the House GOP retreat in Florida, Stefanik – who serves on a subcommittee on the alleged “weaponization” of the federal government — revealed she spoke to Trump and briefed him on the House GOP’s plans to aggressively investigate the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Former President Donald Trump’s indictment by a New York grand jury has thrust the nation into uncharted political, legal and historical waters, and raised a slew of questions about how the criminal case will unfold.

If you are just reading in on this Friday afternoon, here’s what you need to know:

What’s the indictment for and when will he appear in court? Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in the indictment, CNN has reported. It remains under seal, meaning the exact charges are not yet public. The former president is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court next Tuesday, around 2:15 p.m. ET, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell CNN.

The investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office began when Trump was still in the White House and relates to a $130,000 payment made by Trump’s then-personal attorney Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in late October 2016, days before the 2016 presidential election, to silence her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied the affair.

Which charges are possibly at play? A target in the probe has been the payment made to Daniels and the Trump Organization’s reimbursement to Cohen.

Hush money payments aren’t illegal, but ahead of the indictment, prosecutors were weighing whether to charge Trump with falsifying the business records of the Trump Organization for how it reflected the reimbursement of the payment to Cohen, who said he advanced the money to Daniels. Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor in New York.

Prosecutors were also weighing whether to charge Trump with falsifying business records in the first degree for falsifying a record with the intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal another crime, which in this case could be a violation of campaign finance laws. That is a Class E felony. It carries a minimum sentence of one year and a maximum of four years. To prove the case, prosecutors would need to show Trump intended to commit a crime.

What comes next for Trump? The former president had first been asked to surrender Friday in New York, his lawyer said, but his defense said more time was needed and he’s expected in court Tuesday.

As for the former president’s initial court appearance: It’ll look, in some ways, like that of any other defendant. In others, it will look very different.

How did Trump respond? Trump was caught off guard by the grand jury’s decision to indict him, according to a person who spoke directly with him. While the former president was bracing for an indictment last week, he began to believe news reports that a potential indictment was weeks – or more – away.

The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the matter and continued his attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other Democrats following news of the indictment.

The judge overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump signed off on an order Thursday which granted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s request to publicly disclose an indictment — currently under seal — that was returned by a grand jury earlier in the day against former President Donald Trump.

The filing reading — The People of the State of New York, against Donald J. Trump – is among the first to be unsealed in the case as the public awaits the unsealing of the indictment.

In an Instagram Story on Friday morning, Ivanka Trump – who has remained largely silent in political matters concerning her father in the fallout of the 2020 election – expressed gratitude to people “across the political spectrum expressing support and concern” over former President Donald Trump’s indictment.

Ivanka Trump was a senior adviser in the Trump administration during his presidency.

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, called the indictment “troubling” during an appearance at the FII Institute’s Priority Summit in Miami Beach on Friday. 

“I think what was announced last night was also very unprecedented. And as an American, it’s very troubling to me to see the leader of the opposition party be indicted,” Kushner said, according to video posted by Bloomberg News. 

Kushner, who served in the White House during Trump’s administration, added that “what I’ll say is I’ve been by him during a lot of these instances, and it’s only made him stronger – and his resolve to take on big challenges, to fight for change, to fight for the American people, has only gotten stronger.”

Like his wife, Kushner is not involved in his 2024 campaign and has largely steered clear of political matters tied to the former president since he left office.

The US Secret Service hasn’t played a role in the negotiations between the Trump lawyers and the Manhattan District Attorney over former President Donald Trump’s Tuesday court appearance, a person briefed on the matter said.

The Secret Service has limited its involvement to coordinating security arrangements, which have been in the works for weeks. 

The agency is using its standard protocols, which means Secret Service employees will test the magnetometers at the courthouse to ensure they are up to Secret Service standards. 

The plans, which have already been worked out, include Secret Service employees at the magnetometers before Trump arrives. They will enforce distance requirements to make sure no one comes close to the former president. His detail will be with him as he is processed, fingerprinted and photographed for mug shots.

At this point, the former president isn’t expected to be handcuffed as he will be surrounded by armed federal agents for his protection.  

Former President Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court around 2:15 p.m. ET Tuesday, two sources with knowledge of the matter tell CNN.

Officials involved in the planning of Trump’s appearance are considering pausing all other case activity at the court during the time that the former president is expected to appear, according to a source with knowledge of the plans.

An adjournment of all other matters at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon would reduce the amount of foot traffic in the building for security reasons, the source said.

Former President Donald Trump will travel to New York on Monday before his arraignment in the Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, two sources familiar with this plans tell CNN. 

Trump will remain at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate, over the weekend.

Former President Donald Trump lashed out online at the judge he is expected to appear before Tuesday, accusing Judge Juan Merchan of “railroading” former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg in a previous case.

Calling the allegations against him a “Witch Hunt Case,” Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that the judge “HATES” him.

Merchan is the “same person who ‘railroaded’ my 75 year old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a ‘plea’ deal,” Trump wrote.

“He strong armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, & treated my companies, which didn’t ‘plead,’ VICIOUSLY,” the former president added.

Some context: Merchan oversaw the criminal tax fraud case against Weisselberg and two Trump Organization entities. Weisselberg pleaded guilty and Merchan approved his plea deal, under which Weisselberg would serve five months in jail if he pleaded guilty to 15 felonies and testified truthfully at the trial of the Trump companies. Weisselberg is expected to be released from Rikers Island next month.

The judge warned Weisselberg at his guilty pleas that he could face up to 15 years in prison if he deviated from this agreement.

At sentencing, Merchan said he found it “offensive” that Weisselberg fabricated a paycheck so his wife could receive federal benefits and wished he could have sentenced him to “a much greater” sentence.

During the investigation, the judge held the Trump entities in criminal contempt and fined them $4,000 for failing to comply with multiple grand jury subpoenas. The judge kept his ruling under seal until after the verdict so it wouldn’t prejudice the case. The Trump entities were found guilty of multiple counts of tax fraud and falsifying business records. The judge handed down the maximum sentence, a fine of $1.6 million.