Some of former President Trump's biggest critics in the Democratic Party raced to weigh in on his historic indictment just minutes after he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday evening.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and a vocal opponent to Trump when he was in office, reacted with glee on Twitter.
"SO Trump finally got indicted! I predicted he would and I predicted that Stormy Daniels would get him! Sometimes justice works!" Waters wrote.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the former head of the House Intelligence Committee and the lead Democrat in Trump's first impeachment trial, called the moment "sobering" but indicated he believed justice was served.
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"The indictment of former president Donald J. Trump by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office over his alleged participation in a campaign fraud and hush money scheme that already sent his former attorney Michael Cohen to jail is a sobering and unprecedented development," Schiff said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "But if justice demanded that Michael Cohen go to jail for a scheme directed by someone else, justice also requires that the person responsible for directing the scheme must answer for their offenses against the law — and that person is Donald Trump."
"The indictment and arrest of a former president is unique throughout all of American history. But so too is the unlawful conduct for which Trump has been charged, and for the even more grievous misconduct for which he is currently under investigation by a Department of Justice Special Counsel and the Fulton County District Attorney," he said.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., urged Americans to remain neutral in a departure from his normally outspoken criticism of the right.
"The indictment of a former president is a somber day for America. It’s also a time to put faith in our judicial system. Donald Trump deserves every protection provided to him by the Constitution. As that unfolds, let us neither celebrate nor destroy. Justice benefits us all," the lawmaker said on Twitter.
Rep. Ted Lieu called for a similar hands-off approach, indicating that even the ex-president's harshest critics are treading cautiously around the historic news.
"Indicting a former President is a horrible precedent; the only precedent worse than that is to not indict Donald Trump if there is evidence that he committed crimes.This is a somber moment for America. We should let the judicial system do its job without interference," Lieu said Thursday evening.
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Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., stressed that Trump had the same due process rights as any American citizen.
"This indictment isn't a trivial matter. A grand jury made up of everyday citizens decided that there is enough evidence to charge President Trump with a crime," the senator said. "Like every person charged with a serious crime, the former President has due process rights. He will have an opportunity to defend himself in a court of law before a jury of his peers."
Trump is believed to have been indicted in an investigation related to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, totaling $130,000 and $150,000 respectively.
He's also being investigated by prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia over accusations of election interference in that state, and is the subject of two federal probes under the purview of Special Counsel Jack Smith.
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Progressive "squad" member Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., denounced Republican attacks against Bragg as "racist" and called for Trump to never be allowed to hold public office again.
"Being indicted for falsifying business records with hush money is only the beginning of being held accountable for his crimes. Trump attempted to illegally overturn election results in Georgia and worked to incite the insurrection at the Capitol, both in an effort to overthrow our government to advance his fascist cause. His continued calls for protests following his arrest are just another dog whistle for his followers: destroy our democracy," Bowman said.
"Republicans will continue to claim this was a political arrest, but they can’t continue to hide behind their lies, misinformation, and racist attacks towards Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It’s time that we ensure Trump is banned from running for any public office again and from there, finally take action to fix our democracy," he said.
Fellow Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., pointed out, "This is just one of many criminal acts for which Donald Trump is being investigated."
"Our democracy rests on the rule of law. When someone — no matter how powerful they are — is suspected of a criminal act, our justice system investigates, charges, and convicts them in accordance with due process," Omar said. "Make no mistake: the fact that one of the most powerful people in the world was investigated impartially and indicted is testament to the fact that we still live in a nation of laws. And no one is above the law."
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.