On Monday, Republicans prepared themselves for the impending indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. His allies on Capitol Hill exercised their investigative powers to target the prosecutor who is pursuing Mr. Trump. Meanwhile, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is the leading rival for the 2024 G.O.P. presidential nomination, made his first criticism of Mr. Trump’s personal conduct. Mr. Trump’s recent call to his supporters to protest against his impending arrest has even caused some of his allies on the right to become fearful about what will happen next. The memory of the violent riot that occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, when Mr. Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol and resulted in more than 1,000 arrests, is still fresh.
On Monday, the Criminal Courts Building in Manhattan was surrounded by police barricades, causing prominent Republicans, including Mr. Trump’s allies, to be split on whether to encourage mass protests. Some influential voices on the right urged for caution and for supporters to stay away, particularly in New York, where any potential unrest could result in prosecution from the same official who is expected to charge Mr. Trump. However, others believed that not protesting the indictment of a former president would be surrendering their constitutional rights.
Gavin Wax, the president of the New York Young Republican Club,
organized a demonstration in Manhattan on Monday evening, which was sparsely
attended, with the media vastly outnumbering protesters. He stated that he
understood that there were fears and concerns based on what happened on Jan. 6,
but believed that it was ridiculous, pathetic, and nihilistic to say that a
conservative cannot peacefully protest.
The day’s events were marked by an uneasy calm before an anticipated political and legal storm. A Manhattan grand jury is preparing to indict former President Donald Trump soon for hush money payments that kept adult film actress Stormy Daniels from revealing her alleged affair with Trump in 2016. In an unusual move, three Republican House committee chairmen issued a pre-emptive strike against the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, demanding that he disclose communications, documents, and testimony about his investigation, which is a rare attempt by Congress to intervene in an active criminal inquiry.
Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio, James R. Comer of Kentucky, and Bryan Steil of Wisconsin wrote in connection with the expected indictment, “If these reports are accurate, your actions will erode the confidence in the even-handed application of justice and unalterably interfere in the course of the 2024 presidential election.” Mr. Trump’s lawyers have urged the Republican-led House to intervene quietly. The indictment that is expected has already roiled the 2024 campaign trail. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has been under pressure from Trump supporters to speak out against the case, accused Mr. Bragg of “weaponizing” his office, joining other Republicans who have done the same. Mr. Trump fired back in his typical personal and abrasive manner, insinuating that the governor was gay and raising questions about whether he was involved with underage students when he was a teacher in his early twenties.
Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York predicted that the expected indictment “only strengthens President Trump moving forward.” Meanwhile, Mr. Trump urged his supporters to “PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!” ahead of his first large rally of the 2024 campaign, scheduled for Saturday in Waco, Texas
