A Manhattan grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump. This is the first time in history a former president has faced criminal charges.  

The charges against Trump revolve around supposed hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg led the investigation and on Thursday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office filed the charges under seal, according to The New York Times.  

Trump is expected to be asked to surrender to authorities in the coming days. The details of the charges remain unknown for now.  

Trump responded to the indictment on his social media platform TruthSocial, writing, “These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President. THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. IT IS LIKEWISE A CONTINUING ATTACK ON OUR ONCE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. THE USA IS NOW A THIRD WORLD NATION, A NATION IN SERIOUS DECLINE. SO SAD!”

Republican and Democrat lawmaker took to Twitter Thursday night to respond to the news.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted that the indictment was “completely unprecedented and is a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused Bragg of “irreparably” damaging the United States and attempting to “interfere in our Presidential election.”

He pledged that “the House of Representatives will hold Alvin Bragg and his unprecedented abuse of power to account.”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., responded to the indictment, tweeting, “President Donald J. Trump has just been indicted by an extremist NY District Attorney. No president of the United States has ever been criminally indicted. Trump Derangement Syndrome has infiltrated our judicial system and if they can come from him, they can come for anyone.”  

“This isn’t just an indictment of President Trump,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., wrote on Twitter, “it’s an attempt to intimidate anyone who goes against the Left’s radical regime!”

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., responded to the news tweeting, “The indictment of a former president is unprecedented. But so too is the unlawful conduct in which Trump has been engaged. A nation of laws must hold the rich and powerful accountable, even when they hold high office. Especially when they do. To do otherwise is not democracy.”

“President Donald Trump always fought for us,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter Thursday evening. “He puts the American people above corrupt interests. For that reason alone, the powerful will never stop coming for him. A majority of Americans know Alvin Bragg’s witch hunt is a politically motivated prosecution.”

“No one is above the law—not even a current or former president,” Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., tweeted. “It is important that in our society, the legal system holds people accountable for crimes committed. No exception should be given for a twice-impeached former president.”

“There is no crime here,” Kari Lake, the Republican nominee in the Arizona 2022 gubernatorial election, said in a statement following the indictment, adding, “This political prosecution should receive bipartisan condemnation. The precedent this sets threatens to further divide a country that already seems to be on the verge of tearing itself apart.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the indictment of Trump “un-American,” and said “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are available. 

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