House Republicans remain divided over how to react to the expected indictment of Donald Trump, the former President. Some prominent Trump allies have urged his supporters to protest against the indictment, while others have asked them to stay away from any protests. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has criticized the prosecutor in the case as a “Soros-funded prosecutor,” but he appeared to minimize the significance of a former president facing potential criminal charges. Meanwhile, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the House, has urged Trump supporters to stay away from protests. However, Elise Stefanik, one of Trump’s most fervent defenders, dissented, saying that people have a constitutional right to speak up when they disagree. Trump has scheduled his first large rally of the 2024 campaign in Texas, but some Trump allies have indulged in unfounded conspiracy theories about entrapment, claiming that the federal government would somehow infiltrate any protest to encourage violence.
The Impending Trump Indictment Looms Large for GOP
Republicans are bracing themselves for the expected indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. The GOP is divided over whether to encourage mass protests or urge caution, as the leading rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, took his first swipe at Mr. Trump’s personal conduct.
Trump’s Call for Protests Leaves Allies Fearful
Mr. Trump’s call over the weekend for his supporters to take to the streets in protest of what he described as his looming arrest has left even some of his allies fearful about what will come next. Memories of the violent riot that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, when Mr. Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol are still fresh, resulting in over 1,000 arrests since then.
Republicans Divided on Response to Indictment
With police barricades going up outside the Criminal Courts Building in Manhattan on Monday, prominent Republicans, including Mr. Trump’s allies, were divided over whether to encourage mass protests. Some influential voices on the right urged caution and for his supporters to stay away, particularly from New York, where any potential unrest would invite prosecution from the same official who is expected to charge Mr. Trump. Others said not protesting the indictment of a former president was tantamount to ceding their constitutional rights.
GOP Committee Chairmen Demand Information
Three Republican House committee chairmen made an extraordinary pre-emptive strike on Monday against the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, demanding that he provide communications, documents, and testimony about his investigation. This is a rare attempt by Congress to involve itself in an active criminal inquiry.
Trump’s Supporters Gather Outside Mar-a-Lago Club
On Monday, supporters gathered outside Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and residence after he called for protests this weekend. Meanwhile, police barricades went up outside the Criminal Courts Building in Manhattan, where a grand jury is expected to soon indict Mr. Trump in connection with hush money payments made to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 to keep her from speaking out about an affair she had with Mr. Trump years earlier.
Republicans Use Investigative Powers to Target Prosecutor
Mr. Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill are flexing their investigative powers to target the prosecutor pursuing him. All eyes are now on the impending political and legal firestorm as the GOP struggles with how to respond to the expected indictment of their former leader.
Trump’s Allies Push Back Against Expected Indictment
Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, James R. Comer of Kentucky, and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin wrote to Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, accusing him of eroding confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and interfering with the course of the 2024 presidential election if reports of Mr. Trump’s impending indictment are accurate. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s lawyers have quietly pushed the Republican-led House to intervene, calling for an investigation into what they call the “egregious abuse of power” by Mr. Bragg, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times.
Expected Indictment Affecting 2024 Campaign Trail
The expected indictment is already affecting the 2024 presidential election campaign trail. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis, who had faced pressure from Trump allies to speak out against the case, broke his silence on Monday, accusing Mr. Bragg of “weaponizing” his office. He was joined by other Republicans who accused Mr. Bragg of the same.
DeSantis Needles Trump Over Personal Conduct
However, Governor DeSantis went further and needled Mr. Trump over his personal conduct. He questioned the payment of hush money to a porn star to secure silence over an alleged affair, saying he couldn’t speak to that. He accused Mr. Bragg of ignoring crimes happening every day in his jurisdiction and going back many years to try to use something about porn star hush-money payments, an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office.
Trump Responds With Personal Insinuations
In response, Mr. Trump fired back, making personal insinuations about Governor DeSantis’ sexuality and raising questions about his involvement with students when he was a teacher in his early 20s. Mr. DeSantis has previously waved away Mr. Trump’s allegations of relationships with students, saying he doesn’t spend his time trying to smear other Republicans.
Conclusion
The expected indictment of former President Trump is causing a rift within the Republican party, with some pushing back against it and others choosing caution. Governor DeSantis’ comments questioning Mr. Trump’s personal conduct have earned him a personal attack from the former president. All eyes are now on the expected indictment and its potential impact on the 2024 presidential election.
The Expected Indictment Only Strengthens President Trump, Says Representative Stefanik
Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the highest-ranking member of the House so far to endorse Mr. Trump, predicts that the expected indictment “only strengthens President Trump moving forward.” Mr. Trump received an endorsement from Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who stated that the expected indictment had pushed her to choose sides unequivocally. Luna described the indictment as an abuse of power and a fascist overreach of the justice system.
Trump’s Political Standing Measured by Crowd Size
Mr. Trump has long measured his political standing by the size of the crowds that show up for him, even in times of adversity. When the “Access Hollywood” video broke in 2016, Mr. Trump found comfort in the small band of supporters outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, visiting them briefly with a fist pump. The first mini-drama of his White House tenure was related to his insistent exaggerations about the crowd size at his inauguration.
Trump Calls for Protests Despite Jan. 6
On his social media site on Saturday, Mr. Trump exhorted his supporters to “PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!” Despite the shadow of Jan. 6, Mr. Trump has scheduled his first large rally of the 2024 campaign in Waco, Texas, far from any courthouse. While the rally is expected to be well attended, prominent online pro-Trump voices have not all heeded and repeated the former president’s call for supporters to mobilize.
Unfounded Conspiracy Theories Surrounding the Indictment
Some Trump allies have indulged in unfounded conspiracy theories about entrapment, claiming that the federal government would somehow infiltrate any protest to encourage violence, or that left-wing agitators would initiate violence or spur crowds toward it. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department official who was nearly named acting attorney general by Mr. Trump in late 2020 as the president sought to overturn his election loss, advised people to stay home instead of joining the protest.
Conclusion
The expected indictment of former President Trump is causing a stir within the Republican party, with some predicting that it will only strengthen his political standing. Despite the shadow of Jan. 6, Mr. Trump has called for his supporters to protest, with his first large rally of the 2024 campaign scheduled in Texas. Meanwhile, some Trump allies have indulged in unfounded conspiracy theories about entrapment surrounding the indictment.
As Donald Trump faces an expected indictment on charges of tax fraud, conspiracy, and falsifying business records, his supporters are divided over whether to mobilize protests in his defense. Some online pro-Trump voices are advising supporters to stay away from any protests to avoid violence. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused the federal government of using undercover agents to turn any protests violent, while Jesse Kelly, a syndicated right-wing radio host, has called Mr. Trump’s calls for protest an abuse of his followers.
Meanwhile, House Republicans gathered in Orlando, Florida to plot their policy agenda and how to position themselves for the coming fiscal fights on Capitol Hill. The event demonstrated the disruptive force that Mr. Trump remains for the party. Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy urged Trump supporters to stay away from protests, while Representative Elise Stefanik, one of Mr. Trump’s most fervent defenders, believed people have a constitutional right of freedom of speech to speak up when they disagree.
Mr. Trump has called for his supporters to protest his indictment and scheduled his first large rally of the 2024 campaign in Waco, Texas, on the 30th anniversary of the deadly siege in Waco of a compound run by the Branch Davidian religious sect—an iconic event in right-wing, antigovernment lore. While the rally is expected to be well-attended, some pro-Trump voices have advised supporters to stay away from any protests to avoid violence.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has not yet declared his candidacy for president but is traveling the country, criticized Mr. Bragg as “a Soros-funded prosecutor,” but appeared to minimize the significance of a former president facing potential criminal charges, saying he has to spend his time on issues that actually matter to people.
As the situation unfolds, many prominent figures on both sides of the aisle are urging calm and restraint, with some Trump allies asking supporters to stay away from any protests to avoid violence.
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