OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Sen. Rand Paul sounded off on social media Tuesday following news that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose campaign was financed, in part, by a George Soros-funded organization, was close to indicting former President Donald Trump.
Paul was clearly angered by the potential indictment and strongly suggested that it is political in nature.
“A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail,” the Kentucky Republican noted on Twitter.
Several prominent Republicans have rallied to support the former president as he faces the possibility of being indicted for his involvement in the hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, for instance, said that Bragg “has done more to help Donald Trump get elected president than any single person in America.”
Former Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has also declared her bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, told Fox News: “I think what we know is, when you get into political prosecutions like this, it’s more about revenge than it is about justice.”
And former Vice President Mike Pence, who has had a falling out with his former running mate, told ABC News’s Jonathan Karl that he believes Bragg’s investigation is “politically motivated” and “not what the American people want to see.” Pence is considering a 2024 bid, according to reports.
Another potential rival to Trump, who was the first to formally declare his candidacy in November, also remarked on the case.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know this: the Manhattan district attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at an event in his state earlier this week. “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just, I can’t speak to that.”
Meanwhile, Paul’s tweet came as the UK-based Daily Mail reported Trump is likely to be indicted on Wednesday, but won’t have to actually be arraigned in court until next week.
According to an insider, the former president, who is currently in Florida, will be charged officially. Following that, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office plans to contact Trump and his Secret Service detail to make arrangements for his surrender.
“He will then fly to New York where he will be arraigned, finger printed, and pose for his mug shot,” the Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
Trump has acknowledged reimbursing his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 payment to Daniels but insisted that it was not associated with his campaign funds. The Trump Organization classified the payment reimbursing Cohen as a legitimate expenditure. Others have noted as well that Trump self-funded his first campaign.
Trump last week declined an invitation to appear before the grand jury, which experts say was another sign of an impending indictment.
In response to the news, a spokesperson for Trump, Steven Cheung, issued a statement to Fox News Digital criticizing Bragg, calling his investigation a “witch hunt” and alleging that Bragg was under the influence of President Biden and “radical Democrats.”
“President Donald J. Trump is completely innocent, he did nothing wrong, and even the biggest, most Radical Left Democrats are making that clear,” Cheung said. “From Russia, Russia, Russia, to the Mueller Hoax, to Impeachment Hoaxes 1 and 2, and even the Unlawful Mar-a-Lago Raid, Democrats have investigated and attacked President Trump since before he was elected – and they’ve failed every time.
“Now Democrats are at it again, pushing the ‘Nuclear Button’ and attacking a President because of a disgraced extortionist,” he added. “This is happening because President Trump is leading in the polls by a large margin against both Democrats and Republicans, and there’s never been anything so blatant in American political history.”
Cheung continued: “Everyone knows it’s a sham. In fact, the Department of Justice stocked the DA’s office with top people from DC to help ‘Get Trump’ at a local level. Americans will not tolerate Radical Left Democrats turning our justice system into an injustice system to influence a presidential election, which is all they want to do. Our Country is not going to let this happen. This will backfire massively for the Democrat Party, and end in disgrace for our Nation.”
