OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury convened by District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Thursday, but the news hasn’t all been bad.
According to a statement from Trump’s 2024 campaign on Friday, the 45th president raised more than $4 million in about 24 hours following news of the indictment.
President Trump Raises Over $4 Million in 24 Hours After Indictment in Alvin Bragg Witch Hunt pic.twitter.com/aRzhv41hvW
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) April 1, 2023
The massive wave of cash follows the Thursday indictment over allegations of campaign finance violations ahead of the 2016 presidential campaign. The charges involve a “hush money” payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and a $150,000 “catch and kill” payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claimed they had an affair with Trump at various points in the preceding years. Trump has vigorously denied the allegations by both women.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose campaign was financed in part by left-wing billionaire George Soros, sought to have Trump arraigned in court the following day, but the U.S. Secret Service appeared to nix that.
Fox News reported: “The source told Fox News Digital that Bragg had requested Trump’s surrender to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office by Friday — the day after the indictment — but that timeline was extended due to arrangements needed to be made by Secret Service. The source told Fox News Digital Trump will ‘most likely’ surrender on Tuesday. Typically, a defendant who surrenders in a nonviolent case would surrender to a central booking location, legal experts have explained. However, special accommodations are likely being arranged because this indictment involves a former president of the United States. The Secret Service and the New York Police Department are expected to play a large role in the process next week.”
Several leading Republicans were highly critical of the indictment.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday night that the state would not cooperate with any request to extradite Donald Trump after the former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis tweeted.
“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent. Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” he added.
Extradition would only be required if Trump refused to leave his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to attend an arraignment hearing in New York.
“They just indicted President Trump. Unfortunately for them, this will only make him…stronger. I didn’t think I could possibly support him more, but this political Witch Hunt only strengthens our resolve to fight. We’ve got your back, Mr. President,” 2022 Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who has been mentioned as a potential Trump running mate, tweeted.
They just indicted President Trump.
Unfortunately for them, this will only make him. stronger. I didn’t think I could possibly support him more, but this political Witch Hunt only strengthens our resolve to fight.
We’ve got your back, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/qoNGeF5aSP
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 30, 2023
During an interview Thursday evening with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said he had spoken to Trump earlier following news of the indictment.
“Remember, Soros gave Alvin Bragg a million dollars. We’re used to seeing these things. Government printing money till it goes out of style in third world countries, and that’s being visited in the United States of America. I spoke with President Trump moments ago, and he’s resolute and concerned about what this does to America’s brand around the world,” Gaetz said.
“We will wake up in a very different America because we can no longer have moral authority against the dictators who would always find it easier to jail their political rivals than to compete against them in free and fair elections. I remember my Democrat colleagues about Comey making derogatory comments about Clinton before the election. This must ring a thousand times louder to them. I believe there are federal equities at play that the United States Congress is about to evaluate,” Gaetz added.
“We don’t want to resolve differences through violence, but the Chinese communist party can pay every grifter but Donald Trump can’t pay Stormy Daniels without a legal dispute. There’s a legal element that’s not met by any evidence. They would have to prove that Donald Trump would have no reason other than the election to try to resolve this issue with Stormy Daniels privately and outside of the public sphere,” he added.
“I think a motion to dismiss will happen next. If this were ever to be tried, you could not do it in Manhattan. You would see a change of venue in upstate New York. Maybe it’s the only place Donald Trump could get a fair trial. I expect this will be resolved well before that by any court that looks at the way that the law is being tortured in the absence of any charge that would be maintainable against any human being on the Planet Earth other than Donald Trump and against Trump it’s clearly political,” he concluded.
