CLEVELAND — It was revealed on Thursday that a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter.
The 76-year-old Trump becomes the first former U.S. president to have ever been charged with a crime. He called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. In a statement, Trump's lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said: “He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
Meanwhile, some prominent Ohio politicians have already reacted to the news of the Trump indictment.
U.S. Sen. JD Vance
“Today’s indictment of President Trump is political persecution masquerading as law…The American people will see this for exactly what it is: a grave miscarriage of justice."
Rep. Max Miller
"The American people should see this indictment for what it truly is: A politically motivated prosecution by a DA who is pursuing Donald Trump for political reasons."
Rep. Jim Jordan
"Outrageous."
Rep. Mike Carey
"New York City's crime rate increases every year, yet their corrupt District Attorney Alvin Bragg believes his time is best spent on a political witch hunt against President Trump. He's making a mockery of our legal system. The people of NYC deserve better and the American voters deserve better."
We will continue to update this story as more reaction comes in.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.