The news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment sparked outrage among GOP lawmakers, with some using the charges to rally his supporters around his White House campaign.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), a first-term lawmaker and staunch ally of Trump, was quick to use Trump’s indictment as fundraising fodder, sending a text to supporters shortly after the news was announced on Thursday evening.
DONALD TRUMP INDICTED: FORMER PRESIDENT CHARGED IN MANHATTAN HUSH MONEY CASE
“This is unfair on so many levels,” his fundraising text read. “Click here to demand his freedom.”
The link redirects supporters to a fundraising page, urging voters to donate toward Trump and “America First Patriots.” The proceeds would then go toward Vance’s political action committee, as well as the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, according to the missive.
The fundraising campaign was released one hour after it was announced that a grand jury in Manhattan had voted to indict Trump on charges related to a hush money case that emerged during his first White House run in 2016. The indictment marks the first time a former president has been hit with criminal charges.
The timeline of Trump’s arraignment is not entirely clear, although Manhattan officials said they are working with the former president’s legal team to coordinate a surrender. If Trump complies in accordance with the request, the former president would be photographed and fingerprinted in a New York state courthouse.
Trump is “likely” to turn himself in as soon as Tuesday, but the former president will not be placed in handcuffs, his legal team said on Friday. Trump was initially asked to surrender on Friday, but his lawyers told New York officials that the former president’s security detail would need more time to prepare, according to the Associated Press.
Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing and has accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of leading a politically motivated prosecution against him. He has also denied any affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, who had been looking to make her story known during Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Reports of a looming indictment emerged after former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before the Manhattan grand jury multiple times earlier this month. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, also met with prosecutors earlier this month.
Cohen was convicted in 2018 after pleading guilty to paying two women who accused Trump of sexual affairs to be silent, including Daniels. As part of the scheme, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 and was later reimbursed by the Trump Organization.
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Manhattan prosecutors later opened an investigation into whether Trump falsified business records to list the reimbursement as a legal expense. Such a crime is a misdemeanor in New York but could be increased to a felony if Bragg’s office argues the fraud was intended to conceal a second crime.
At the time of Cohen’s trial, federal prosecutors did not press charges against Trump due to guidance from the Justice Department that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. However, prosecutors revived discussions about possible charges shortly before Trump left office in 2021.
