Headline Roundup • March 20th, 2023
Leading Republicans React to Potential Prosecution of Former President Trump
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Leading Republicans are reacting to news from former President Donald Trump that he is facing potential prosecution by the Manhattan District Attorney's office, and that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday.
Reactions: Former Vice President Mike Pence said prosecution of Trump is "not what the American people want to see," and that the case is a political prosecution. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he wants no violence or protests if Trump is arrested or indicted. McCarthy has also asked Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether federal funds were used to conduct this investigation.
Key Quote: “It just feels like a politically charged prosecution here. And I, for my part, I just feel like it’s just not what the American people want to see,” Pence told ABC News.
For Context: Prosecutors in New York have been looking into whether Trump made hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and violated campaign finance laws. A year ago, Daniels lost her case to appeal a lower court decision in her unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against Trump.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum covered Trump's potential arrest and prosecution. Some right-rated sources focused on Republicans who criticized the Manhattan District Attorney's office. Some left-rated sources noted Pence's recent remarks criticizing Trump's actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
Featured Coverage of this Story
AP
Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, rallied around former President Donald Trump on Sunday, blasting his potential prosecution by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as a politically motivated attack against a 2024 Democratic rival.
“It just feels like a politically charged prosecution here. And I, for my part, I just feel like it’s just not what the American people want to see,” Pence told ABC News’ “This Week” in an interview that aired Sunday.
“The fact that the Manhattan DA thinks that indicting President Trump is his top priority, I think … just tells...
Former Vice President Mike Pence weighed in on former President Trump claiming that he expects to be arrested next week in New York City during an interview with ABC's Jon Karl:
MIKE PENCE: First let me say, I am taken aback at the idea of indicting a former president of the United States at a time when there's a crime wave in New York City, the fact that the Manhattan DA thinks that indicting President Trump is his top priority I think just tells you everything you need to know...
CNN Digital
Former Vice President Mike Pence balked at the idea of a potential indictment of Donald Trump, categorizing any possible prosecutorial actions as “politically charged” and “not what the American people want to see.” Speaking with ABC’s Jon Karl during a taped interview Saturday, Pence defended any peaceful protests that may break out at Trump’s behest, after the former president called for his supporters to “take our nation back,” while still condemning the egregious violence that the country witnessed at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. “The American people have...
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