Former Pres. Donald Trump's third indictment is sparking a flurry of reactions from leaders on both sides of the aisle.
What happened? A federal grand jury on Tue. indicted Trump on four counts in the DOJ's probe into the Jan. 6 attack. (WaPo)
The DOJ's 45-page indictment accused Trump of pursuing "unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes." (CNN)
The charges: ⚖️Conspiracy to defraud the US ⚖️Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding ⚖️Conspiracy against rights
For many, the indictment was expected: Trump received a "target letter" from the DOJ in July notifying him of a probe.
Former Trump White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin told CNN Tue. that Trump had little options left for his legal defense:
Jan. 6 Committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson called the indictment a "test" of American democracy. (MSNBC)
Rep. Jamie Raskin called the indictment a "tremendous vindication" of the rule of law and American democracy. (MSNBC)
Republican attorney George Conway told MSNBC Wed. that he "just didn't see how [Trump] survives all these cases."
Several GOP figures were quick to defend Trump: 2024 rival Gov. Ron DeSantis called for the case to be moved out of DC.
2024 GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took to X Tue. to reaffirm his promise to pardon Trump as president.
Trump's lawyer in the case, John Lauro, told CNN Tue. that the indictment was an "attack on free speech."
Former VP Mike Pence was an outlier in his party: he released a statement Tue. condemning Trump for his actions.
Pence: "...anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States."
According to the indictment, Trump repeatedly called Pence before Jan. 6 to pressure him to overturn the election.