Topline
Former President Donald Trump and his allies in the GOP Thursday urged his supporters to contribute to his 2024 presidential campaign, in response to his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury over alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 elections.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during the New Hampshire Republican State Committee fundraiser.
Key Facts
A fundraising email sent by the Trump campaign refers to his indictment as the “darkest chapter in American history,” and accuses the Democrats of cheating and “weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent.”
Urging his supporters to contribute “any amount” to “defend our movement from the never-ending witch hunts,” the email adds that the indictment will “BACKFIRE MASSIVELY on Joe Biden.”
A second fundraising email sent by the Trump campaign promised to send an “I Stand With Trump” to supporters who contribute more than $47 before midnight Thursday.
Appearing on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Trump-ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) made multiple appeals to the show’s viewers to give Trump “some money to fight this bullshit…stand up and help the man.”
Graham also claimed that Democrats are trying to “drain him dry,” adding that Trump has spent “more money on lawyers than most people spent on campaigns.”
Another key Trump supporter in Congress, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) urged her followers on Twitter to express support for Trump by sending out a text message to a number which responds with a fundraising link.
Key Background
After a years-long probe, Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday for his role in an alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, weeks before 2016 elections. Daniels alleges that she and the former president had an affair, something Trump has vehemently denied. One of Trump’s lawyers Susan Necheles said the former president is likely to surrender to authorities in New York on Tuesday for his arraignment. Trump is expected to be briefly put under arrest, have his fingerprints and mugshot taken before he enters a plea and is released from custody. The former president had reportedly told his allies that he wants to turn his arrest into a “spectacle” adding that he “wants to be handcuffed” and do the “perp walk” while being led into court.
Further Reading
Trump Indicted By Manhattan Grand Jury—Arraignment Expected Tuesday On Over 30 Charges, Reports Say (Forbes)
Trump Indictment: Republicans Including Pence, DeSantis, McCarthy And Don Jr. Rage Against Criminal Charges (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/03/31/trump-and-allies-respond-to-indictment-with-fundraising-pleas/