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Reactions to Trump indictment fall along mostly predictable lines

by Jacob Fuller

Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News

One is unlikely to be surprised to learn that U.S. political and entertainment figures have responded to news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment in Manhattan in a manner commensurate with their professed political leanings.

Trump was indicted by a grand jury Thursday in connection to allegations of having paid hush money to women, among them adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels, in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. The former president denies these allegations.

The news was met with a mix of celebration and contrived lamentations from the left and varying degrees of anger and disappointment from the right.

Coincidentally, the only person of note who had a reaction one wouldn’t have expected was Daniels.

USA Today reports that Daniels, who previously promised to “dance down the street” if Trump was indicted, reacted with little emotion.

“The fact is that she feels bad that the guy has been charged,” USA Today quoted Clark Brewster, Daniel’s attorney, as saying. “But on the other hand, truly, she knew what the facts were and she wants him to deal with the truth as well. So from that perspective, there’s a degree of feeling like the system is working.”

Anger was in ready supply for virtually everyone else of consequence among Republicans who hold elected office.

“It is beyond belief that District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted a former President and current presidential candidate for pure political gain,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) tweeted. “Arresting a presidential candidate on a manufactured basis should not happen in America.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) tweeted, “I’m going to New York on Tuesday. We MUST protest the unconstitutional WITCH HUNT!”

This was quite the departure for Greene, who two weeks ago advised against protesting a Trump indictment as it would, she said, allow the FBI to infiltrate conservative protests and inspire violence.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has also stated he felt it was a bad idea to protest on behalf of Trump, did not change stances on the protest question, but he did vow to put the full power of the House behind investigating what he describes as a wanton abuse of authority by Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg.

“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” McCarthy tweeted. “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley expressed her support of Trump and accused Democrats of seeking “revenge” rather than justice.

Similarly, Vivek Ramaswamy, who like Haley is seeking to defeat Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, aligned himself squarely with the former president.

Ramaswamy also gave voice to a common theme among conservative responses — a deeply held belief that Democrats are using the American justice system as a way to prevent Trump from running for president and therefore depriving the American people of the right to choose their leader.

“The politically motivated indictment of the 45th President of the United States marks a dark moment in American history,” Ramaswamy tweeted. “It will undermine public trust in our electoral system & justice system. It is un-American for the ruling party to use police power to arrest its political rivals. Principles go beyond partisanship. Let the American people decide who governs.”

THE LEFT OOZES HYPOCRISY ABOUT THE ‘RULE OF LAW’

Democrats and leftists, who are getting what they want, were in a position to be somewhat more measured in their response.

“Our democracy rests on the rule of law. When someone — no matter how powerful they are — is suspected of a criminal act, our justice system investigates, charges, and convicts them in accordance with due process,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted in a lengthy thread.

Omar also lashed out at Trump and Republicans for calls to protest, which Omar believes constitute a threat of violence, and calls for Congressional investigations, which Omar says is inappropriate.

“Political interference in a criminal investigation, up to and including incitement of violence, are hallmarks of democratic decline,” Omar wrote.

New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman promised more unspecified punishment for Trump was forthcoming.

“No one in this country is above the law – including former President Trump,” Bowman tweeted. “Being indicted for falsifying business records with hush money is only the beginning of being held accountable for his crimes.”

DESANTIS REFUSES TO COOPERATE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has pledged to not extradite Trump to New York if requested — as of this writing, such a request has not been made — was also the target of Democrat anger.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused DeSantis of being pro-crime and anti-semitic.

“In a single statement, Ron DeSantis advanced antisemitic lies, attacked the rule of law, and displayed shameless duplicity,” Schiff tweeted. “This is what it takes to compete in a party that abandoned all principle — save ambition — and scruple. Trump has been indicted. Trumpism presses on.”

It is important to note that in his accusation, Schiff is equating the criticism of George Soros, the Democrats’ biggest donor by far and the man who DeSantis said backed Bragg, with the hatred of an entire people.

DeSantis’ original tweet reads,

The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American. The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent. Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.

PUNDITS AND CELEBRITIES MORE CHARGED IN REMARKS

In the world of pundits, and celebrities, emotions and rhetoric were markedly higher than even that of the elected officials.

Noted progressive pundit Cenk Uygher, host of “The Young Yurks” YouTube channel, tweeted that Trump “definitely did it” and accused Republicans of trying to establish a two-tier system of justice.

“How it started: MAGA liked Trump because they thought he was a populist who would take on the establishment,” Uyghur wrote in a different tweet. “How it’s going: MAGA is screaming tonight that the elites, like the former president, should be above the law. There should be a higher standard to prosecute the powerful!”

Conservative pundit Matt Walsh countered that it was Democrats who enjoy the benefits of a double-standard.

“Appropriate that a 24-hour period where leftists stormed state capitol buildings with no legal consequence should end with Democrats indicting their chief political rival,” Walsh tweeted. “There is no justice system in this country. There is a system, but justice is not what it’s interested in.”

The mass of leftist celebrities who emerged to celebrate the news of Trump’s indictment was staggering.

Horror novelist Stephen King tweeted, “Wise up, Republicans. Don’t believe the lies. This isn’t political. Donald Trump did this to himself. He betrayed your trust.”

King later added, “Trump defenders blithely ignore the fact that he cheated on his wife.”

The bulk of other liberals — among them Bette Midler, Rob Reiner, and George Takei — centered their reactions around a belief that “finally’ something had been done to Trump.

On the conservative side, actor Dean Cain spent much of his Thursday responding on Twitter to progressive politicians ranging from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (who Cain called a dolt in a response to a topic unrelated to the Trump indictment) to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former FBI director James Comey.

“In the United States we don’t ‘prove innocence,’” Cain tweeted at Pelosi. “We are presumed innocent until proven guilty. How do you not know this?”

Cain’s remarks were in response to a tweet in which Pelosi wrote that “everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence.”

Fellow actor Kevin Sorbo wrote simply, “The left is coming for us, Trump is just standing in the way.”

As of this writing, it remains unclear what the timeline for Trump’s arrest and processing will be or to what degree the former president intends to cooperate.

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