WASHINGTON — Dozens of House Republicans rallied to Donald Trump’s defense Friday, a day after he became the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally prosecuted and following weeks of contentious letters traded between Capitol Hill and the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
News of the indictment landed late Thursday as members of Congress were headed to their home states and districts to kick off a two-week recess. Trump is facing charges related to an alleged hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels made by Michael Cohen, the former president’s attorney, as the 2016 campaign was coming to a close.
House Republicans swiftly emerged as a key line of political defense for Trump, who is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, according to news reports. They have sought to portray Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg as a far-left Democrat who has been soft on crime in his state while pursuing an unprecedented prosecution of a former president.
