McCarthy calls for GOP investigations in possible Trump indictment

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday asked the GOP committee chairs to launch investigations into a possible indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Trump is being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over a payment allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in connection with an alleged affair between the two, at the during his 2016 presidential campaign, which prosecutors say violated campaign finance law. Trump denied the affair. Meanwhile, the district attorney’s office said the investigation was nearing completion, with experts expecting an indictment against the former president in the coming weeks.

On Saturday, Trump took to Truth Social to say he believed authorities would arrest him on Tuesday, calling on his supporters to protest the impending indictment. His post drew criticism of Bragg’s office from conservatives, who say the probe is politically motivated and aimed at derailing Trump’s 2024 presidential bid. Critics of the ex-president, however, said he should have faced lawsuits in previous payment years.

McCarthy, a Republican from California, condemned the possibility of an indictment in a Twitter post.

“Here we go again – an outrageous abuse of power by a radical prosecutor letting violent criminals through as he pursues his political revenge against President Trump,” McCarthy tweeted Saturday, urging House Republicans to open investigations into the possible indictment.

Republicans regained a narrow majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, giving them control of every committee. So far, House Republicans have used their power to launch multiple investigations into the Biden administration and Democrats, saying past investigations into Trump were unfair and politically driven.

“I call on the appropriate committees to immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions,” McCarthy added in his tweet.

Lawmakers react to McCarthy’s call for inquiry

Republicans have expressed support for possible investigations.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia who sits on the Oversight Committee, tweeted: “@SpeakerMcCarthy proves again that through her leadership, @HouseGOP will not tolerate Democrats’ weaponization of government & political persecution at the expense of of the taxpayer. The government serves the people NOT the Democratic Party.”

However, McCarthy has come under fire from some Democratic lawmakers.

“The guy who set up a committee to investigate the ‘militarization of government’ is using his powers in government to prevent an independent prosecution of his boss,” tweeted Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat.

Trump’s social ‘protest’ call for truth follows violence concerns

Trump has maintained his innocence throughout the Manhattan investigation, as well as other inquiries regarding his conduct around the 2020 presidential election and classified documents found by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago residence. in Florida.

He wrote in Saturday’s Truth Social post, “REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE BACK OUR NATION!”

His remarks drew comparisons to the Capitol Riot of January 6, 2021 when a group of Trump supporters, allegedly motivated by his unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud, rioted at the United States Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt. to block certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College Victory.

Meanwhile, WNBC reported on Friday that local authorities had begun security preparations ahead of the expected indictment following concerns from legal analysts that an impending indictment could spark violence.

“This will be the most politically charged prosecution in American history,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani previously said. Newsweek. “Things like security and how to deal with it – you don’t do something like that unless you plan to go all the way to Trump.”

Newsweek contacted spokespersons for the chairs of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, which have conducted previous investigations, by email for comment.