Lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum are responding to former President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he expects to be arrested.
The potential charges stem from hush money that Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, allegedly paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair between her and Trump in 2006.
Trump has denied the affair and the allegations against him.
Prosecutors claim that the payments made by Cohen on Trump’s behalf violated campaign finance laws because they were intended to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election, but were not classified as campaign contributions.
Republicans are calling the potential indictment a politically motivated prosecution, while Democrats are criticizing Trump’s statements for potentially inciting violence and undermining the legal process.
Despite the potential legal troubles, Trump has indicated that being indicted could actually help his campaign, and there is no constitutional requirement for a presidential candidate to sit out if indicted.
