Senator Rand Paul tweeted on Tuesday that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “should be put in jail.”
Bragg is reportedly gearing up to indict former President Donald Trump over a $130,000 “hush money” payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 over an alleged sexual encounter that the two had in 2006.
Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to charges over the payment in 2018 and was sentenced to three years in prison.
In July 2019, federal prosecutors determined that no additional people would be charged alongside Cohen.
The move to revive the case to bring charges against the former president has been branded an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority” by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan.
Sen. Paul echoed that sentiment in a tweet on Tuesday, calling it a “disgusting abuse of power.”
“A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power,” the senator tweeted. “The DA should be put in jail.”
A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail.
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 21, 2023
In a letter to Bragg sent on Monday, Jordan ordered Bragg to testify before Congress.
“Dear Mr. Bragg,” the letter began. “You are about to engage in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current declared candidate for that office. This indictment comes after years of your office searching for a basis — any basis — on which to bring charges, ultimately settling on a novel legal theory untested anywhere in the country and one that federal authorities declined to pursue. If these reports are accurate, your actions will erode confidence in the evenhanded application of justice and unalterably interfere in the court of the 2024 presidential election.”
The letter continued, “in light of the serious consequences of your actions, we expect that you will testify about what plainly appears to be a politically motivated prosecutorial decision.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it would “not be intimidated” from pursuing the charges.
“We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law,” a spokesperson for Bragg’s office told Fox News on Tuesday.
“In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth. Our skilled, honest and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work,” the spokesperson continued.
Trump has called for demonstrations if he is arrested, posting to Truth Social that we need to “protest! Take our nation back!”
If Trump is charged, he will be the first former president in US history to ever be arrested after leaving office. He is also the current leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
