NC Republicans, Democrat agree Trump indictment marks a sad day — but not on why

Republicans and Democrats across North Carolina began responding almost immediately to news reports that former President Donald Trump had been indicted in a case related to hush money he allegedly paid to a porn star prior to his 2016 election.

Trump began teasing a possible indictment nearly two weeks ago. But attention around the courthouse relaxed after news broke earlier this week that the Manhattan grand jury, which was hearing evidence in the case, would recess until mid-April.

Then on Thursday, as Congress wrapped up its week in Washington for its own two-week vacation, The New York Times and others reported that Trump had been indicted. Trump becomes the first former U.S. president to face an indictment.

Within 30 minutes, Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, released a written statement saying that the indictment “doesn’t pass the smell test.”

Last week, Tillis had said he questioned Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s timing and said evidence would reveal whether Bragg was politically motivated to indict Trump or if new information had come to light that led to a prosecution. He took a strong position following the news that an indictment had been issued.

“The Department of Justice already looked into the facts and decided there was no case to be made against President Trump,” Tillis said Thursday. “This is the same District Attorney who is notorious for letting violent crimes off the hook in Manhattan, but has been laser-focused on pursuing a politicized prosecution of a former president. Politics should never tip the scale of justice, and Congress has every right to investigate the conduct and decision-making of the Manhattan D.A.’s office.”

It’s not yet clear what charges Trump faces. The indictment remains sealed, and he still needs to be served. He is expected to turn himself in to authorities Tuesday.

It is believed that Bragg was building a case that Trump falsified business records to classify as a legal fee a settlement to actress Stormy Daniels, as part of allegedly paying her off to stay silent about a tryst.

It could be escalated to a felony if it’s connected to another crime, which would likely be a campaign finance violation.

How NC Republicans support Trump

Tillis’s colleagues tweeted out their own messages similarly criticizing Bragg as being soft on crime, but holding a political grudge against Trump.

Sen. Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, weighed in. Trump’s endorsement of Budd in the 2022 election helped him win his promotion from the U.S. House to the U.S. Senate.

“The Manhattan DA’s partisan prosecution of President Trump is a disgrace,” Budd tweeted. “NYC has a real problem with violent crime. Instead of spending so much time targeting his political enemies, Alvin Bragg should focus on doing his job to keep the people of NYC safe.”

Rep. Richard Hudson, who lives in Southern Pines and leads the National Republican Congressional Committee, tweeted his thoughts on the news.

“Extreme partisan Democrats are weaponizing our judicial system against President Donald Trump in an unprecedented abuse of power,” Hudson wrote. “History will remember this as a dark day.”

Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from Charlotte, who is usually quick to tweet his thoughts, didn’t break his silence on the matter until Friday afternoon and called on a committee he helped form to use their authority to investigate Bragg.

“I saw to it in the January speaker negotiations that the Select Weaponization Subcommittee be fully empowered with compulsory process and broad investigative scope to expose every detail of actions like this to the American people,” Bishop tweeted. “The subpoenas should now fly.”

In January, Bishop struck a deal with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, that he would vote for McCarthy as House speaker if McCarthy would create the subcommittee.

Bishop said in an eight-tweet thread that voters have the power in 2024 to decide if they want the United States to become a third-world country, but the committee could help them “peer into the abyss.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from Denver, said that Bragg’s actions further erode Americans’ trust in government.

“In this instance, it appears D.A. Bragg is using his office to target a political opponent, make good on a campaign promise, and achieve a long-held goal of national Democrats,” McHenry said.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk, also promised in a written statement that House Republicans would hold Bragg accountable for indicting Trump.

“Exacting vengeance against a political opponent through the justice system is not only entirely outrageous, but it is also a blight on justice as we know it,” Foxx wrote.

Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from Wilmington, criticized Bragg.

“This indictment is the most recent occurrence in what has become a disturbing pattern of weaponizing our government and legal institutions for political purposes,” Rouzer wrote. “It’s interesting this is the same District Attorney who refuses to prosecute legitimate crime in NYC, yet indicts a former President on the basis of partisanship eroding the trust of the American public even further.”

Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville, brought up Bragg’s record as a prosecutor in a tweet.

“For almost 8 years Democrats have gone to extreme lengths at every turn to attack former President Donald Trump and today’s event is another milestone in how far they will go,” Murphy wrote.

Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican from Hendersonville who moved to Florida and who once said he considers Trump a father-figure, simply tweeted: “Banana Republic.” He later added “Free him.”

All of the Republicans who reacted have been endorsed by Trump in previous elections.

Democrats’ response

Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Raleigh, cautioned her colleagues from meddling in the case.

“No one is above the law,” Ross said Friday on Twitter. “While we wait for additional details, it’s critical that the Manhattan DA can continue his investigation free from political interference.”

Her neighbor to the south, Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, called Trump “a cancer on our Democracy.”

And Rep. Alma Adams, the lone Democratic member of Congress from North Carolina to make her thoughts known Thursday evening, tweeted a statement saying that the idea that no one is above the law is “as old as the United States.” The representative from Charlotte also said Trump is entitled to due process.

“The State of New York has spent years meticulously building their case, and they secured an indictment not from political power brokers or the media, but from a grand jury of ordinary citizens,” Adams said. “Make no mistake, this is a sad day for our country.

“Justice doesn’t celebrate, justice isn’t vengeful and it doesn’t find joy in accountability. Nevertheless, I am proud of our democracy and our legal system for renewing and refreshing our faith in our legal system of justice. No one, not even a president, is above the law.”