Gov. Kim Reynolds calls potential Trump indictment 'politically charged prosecution'

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday that an investigation and potential indictment of former President Donald Trump is a "politically charged prosecution."

"I think it’s ironic that that D.A. is focused on charging a Republican former president of the United States when New Yorkers are facing unprecedented crime," Reynolds, a Republican, told reporters at a news conference. "It is open season for crime in New York."

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating a $130,000 payment Trump made just before the 2016 election to silence allegations he had an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. He called New York one of the safest cities in which to live.

The former president has denied wrongdoing, and federal investigators ended their own inquiry into the payments in 2019.

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments and served more than 13 months in prison and another year and a half under home confinement.

Trump, a Republican, said Saturday in a post on Truth Social, his social media site, that he expects to be arrested Tuesday in connection with the investigation. He called for people to protest.

Spokesmen for Trump later said he had no imminent knowledge of an arrest and was basing his comment on media reports.

More:Donald Trump claims he will be arrested Tuesday in Manhattan probe, calls for protests

As of Tuesday afternoon, Trump had not been indicted.

If Trump is charged, it would be the first time a former U.S. president has been indicted. Trump is running for president again in 2024.

"I think it’s a sad day for the rule of law," Reynolds said. "I think it’s a sad day for America."

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Reynolds said Iowans are concerned about other issues, including inflation, the cost of groceries, the U.S.-Mexico border and "weakness on the world stage."

"And yet you have an overactive D.A. who is hellbent on taking out a Republican former president of the United States," she said. "And I think it’s ridiculous."

Former Vice President Mike Pence used the same language as Reynolds when he criticized any potential charges against Trump while speaking to reporters Saturday after a foreign policy event in Des Moines.

He called the investigation a "politically charged prosecution" and criticized the district attorney for focusing on Trump rather than other crime in New York.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds criticizes potential Donald Trump indictment