Trump indicted: Republicans and Democrats alike cash in on indictment news

The news that former President Donald Trump has been indicted in Manhattan sparked outrage amongst GOP lawmakers. Some have chosen to use the charges to rally his supporters around his White House campaign.

First-term lawmaker and staunch Trump ally, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), was quick to use Trump’s indictment as a fundraising opportunity. He sent a text out to supporters urging them to demand Trump’s freedom shortly after the announcement was made on Thursday evening.

“Click here to demand his freedom,” urged Vance’s fundraising message, which redirected supporters to a fundraising page. The proceeds would then be used to support both Vance’s political action committee and the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee.

Several other Republicans joined in on the fundraising efforts, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Graham urged supporters to donate money to Trump’s campaign to help the former president “fight this bullshit.”

Top Republican leaders have also stepped up to boost Trump’s campaign. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) urged supporters to donate to an “Official Trump Defense Fund.”

Democrats also took advantage of the news, using the looming charges as fodder to urge supporters to protect the party’s control of the White House and the Senate.

The flurry of fundraising messages arrived one hour after it was announced that a grand jury in Manhattan had voted to indict Trump on charges related to a hush money case that emerged during his first White House run in 2016.

This is the first time a former president has been hit with criminal charges. The timeline of Trump’s arraignment is not entirely clear, although Manhattan officials said they were working with the former president’s legal team to coordinate a surrender. If Trump complies with their request, the former president would be photographed and fingerprinted in a courtroom in New York state.

Trump is “likely” to turn himself in as soon as Tuesday but, according to the Associated Press, he will not be placed in handcuffs. His legal team had initially asked for more time to prepare.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of leading a politically motivated prosecution against him. He has also denied any affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, who had been looking to make her story known during Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Reports of a looming indictment emerged after former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before the Manhattan grand jury multiple times earlier this month. Daniels also met with prosecutors earlier this month. Cohen was convicted in 2018 after pleading guilty to paying two women who accused Trump of sexual affairs, including Daniels.

As part of the scheme, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 and was later reimbursed by the Trump Organization. Manhattan prosecutors later opened an investigation into whether Trump falsified business records to list the reimbursement as a legal expense. Such a crime is a misdemeanor in New York but could be increased to a felony if Bragg’s office argues the fraud was intended to conceal a second crime.

At the time of Cohen’s trial, federal prosecutors did not press charges against Trump due to the Justice Department’s guidance that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime. However, prosecutors revived discussions about possible charges shortly before Trump left office in 2021.