Referenews

Taylor Budowich, CEO of the political-action committee Make America Great Again Inc., used the indictment as an opportunity to look ahead to the 2024 presidential election.

“This is not an indictment of a crime—there was no crime—instead, this news is the indictment of a failed nation,” Budowich said in a statement. “President Trump is promising to peacefully end the war in Ukraine, dismantle the deep state, and save our country by putting America first. For that, the political elites and powerbrokers have weaponized government to try and stop him. They will fail. He will be re-elected in the greatest landslide in American history, and together we will all Make America Great Again.”

— Jordan Novet

Donald Trump could face potentially even more serious criminal charges beyond the Manhattan district attorney’s case against him.

His alleged attempts to meddle in election results in Georgia are the subject of a criminal probe in that state.

Meanwhile, a federal special counsel, Jack Smith, is investigating Trump over his removal of classified documents from the White House as well as his ties to the bloody Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Fueled by Trump’s false claims of election fraud, hundreds of his supporters stormed the building that day in a bid to prevent lawmakers from confirming Joe Biden’s victory.

–Mike Calia

Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Clark Brewster, said the indictment of Trump was “no cause for joy.” Daniels, a former adult film actress, sits close to the heart of the Manhattan district attorney’s hush money case.

“The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected,” Brewster wrote on Twitter. “Now let truth and justice prevail.”

Daniels was the alleged recipient of over $100,000, channeled through longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen, as part of a non-disclosure settlement. She was paid to stay quiet before the 2016 election about an alleged affair with Trump years earlier.

Daniels’ real name is Stephanie Clifford.

— Rohan Goswami

Former President Donald Trump called the indictment by a New York grand jury “political persecution” and vowed to fight Democratic Party officials as he makes another run for the White House.

Trump’s reaction came after the grand jury voted to indict the former president and current 2024 candidate following an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the Radical Left Democrats are doing here,” Trump said in a statement. “Everyone can see it. So our Movement, and our Party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden.”

— Brian Schwartz

Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who was a key witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation, said that “no one is above the law” after his longtime boss was indicted by a New York grand jury.

“I do take solace in validating the adage that no one is above the law; not even a former President. Today’s indictment is not the end of this chapter; but rather, just the beginning,” Cohen said in a statement. “Now that the charges have been filed, it is better for the case to let the indictment speak for itself. The two things I wish to say at this time is that accountability matters and I stand by my testimony and the evidence I have provided to DANY.”

Cohen, in an interview on MSNBC, said he met with the district attorney at least two dozen times during Bragg’s investigation into a 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Cohen was previously sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to tax fraud, lying to banks and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen told MSNBC that he believes Trump is “petrified” after the indictment.

“The mug shot is going to really upset his fragile ego,” Cohen told NBC.

— Brian Schwartz

A New York grand jury voted Thursday to indict former President Donald Trump in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, his lawyer told CNBC.

Trump is the first former president to be charged with a crime.

The historic indictment stems from the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation into how the Trump Organization recorded a reimbursement to Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen after Cohen paid Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006.

— Dan Mangan