The indictment was related to an investigation into alleged campaign finance fraud and hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Reacting to the news, prominent Democrats voiced their support for Trump being held accountable for his alleged crimes while emphasizing the importance of due process and impartial justice.
The top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the indictment. "SO Trump finally got indicted! I predicted he would and I predicted that Stormy Daniels would get him! Sometimes justice works!" Waters wrote.
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Meanwhile, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the former head of the House Intelligence Committee and the lead Democrat in Trump's first impeachment trial, issued a statement to Fox News Digital, saying, "The indictment of former president Donald J. Trump by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office over his alleged participation in a campaign fraud and hush money scheme that already sent his former attorney Michael Cohen to jail is a sobering and unprecedented development. But if justice demanded that Michael Cohen go to jail for a scheme directed by someone else, justice also requires that the person responsible for directing the scheme must answer for their offenses against the law — and that person is Donald Trump."
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Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., urged Americans to remain neutral in a departure from his normally outspoken criticism of the right. "The indictment of a former president is a somber day for America. It’s also a time to put faith in our judicial system. Donald Trump deserves every protection provided to him by the Constitution. As that unfolds, let us neither celebrate nor destroy. Justice benefits us all," he said on Twitter.
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Rep. Ted Lieu echoed a similar sentiment, noting that even the ex-President’s harshest critics are treading cautiously around the historic news. "Indicting a former President is a horrible precedent; the only precedent worse than that is to not indict Donald Trump if there is evidence that he committed crimes," Lieu said. "This is a somber moment for America. We should let the judicial system do its job without interference."
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Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also stressed that Trump had the same due process rights as any American citizen. "This indictment isn't a trivial matter. A grand jury made up of everyday citizens decided that there is enough evidence to charge President Trump with a crime," Booker said. "Like every person charged with a serious crime, the former President has due process rights. He will have an opportunity to defend himself in a court of law before a jury of his peers."
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Rounding out the Democratic reactions, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., denounced Republican attacks against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as "racist" and called for Trump to never be allowed to hold public office again. "Trump attempted to illegally overturn election results in Georgia and worked to incite the insurrection at the Capitol, both in an effort to overthrow our government to advance his fascist cause," Bowman said. "It’s time that we ensure Trump is banned from running for any public office again and from there, finally take action to fix our democracy."
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Lastly, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., asserted, "Make no mistake: the fact that one of the most powerful people in the world was investigated impartially and indicted is a testament to the fact that we still live in a nation of laws. And no one is above the law."