Ron Johnson and other Wisconsin congressional Republicans slam indictment of Donald Trump

WASHINGTON – Wisconsin's top Republicans Thursday evening decried the decision from a Manhattan grand jury to indict Donald Trump, coming to the former president's defense in the hours after the historic move to charge Trump in connection to his role in paying hush money to a porn star in 2016.

"With all the problems facing our country — many exacerbated by Radical Left governance — now a George Soros funded D.A. issues a political indictment against a former president," U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson wrote on Twitter. "Leftists are destroying America."

U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, who was among the first Wisconsin Republicans to publicly back Trump during the former president's first campaign, called the decision the "latest of the weaponization of government against conservatives." He said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the man leading the hush money investigation into Trump, "abused his office to seek a political prosecution of the former President."

"Bragg’s latest political stunt is outrageous and unbecoming of his office," Fitzgerald tweeted.

The grand jury's decision Thursday makes Trump the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. The move drew an immediate rebuke from Republicans in Washington, including a number of leading House Republicans who have suggested in recent days that Bragg's investigation into the alleged $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels was made to derail Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, chair of the House Administration Committee, has emerged as among the most public defenders of the former president.

Steil last week joined House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky in demanding Bragg testify before Congress about his office's ongoing criminal investigation of Trump. The trio demanded all documents and communications between the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal law enforcement agencies related to the Trump inquiry.

Five days later, the chairmen sent another letter to the Manhattan district attorney's office suggesting House Republicans could draft legislation shielding current and former presidents from alleged "politically motivated prosecutions." Bragg's office has argued the requests would interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation.

On Thursday, Steil said: "The unprecedented move by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg raises many questions. To maintain confidence in our system, it is imperative that our justice system be impartial and that all who come before it are treated equally without regard to politics."

U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin's newest member of Congress, echoed Fitzgerald's claims that the indictment was a "weaponization of the goverment (sic) by the left."

"Their blatant abuse of power is destroying our democracy and should be resoundingly condemned by all Americans who care about the rule of law," Van Orden tweeted.

And U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany on Friday called the indictment a "dangerous effort by the far Left to weaponize our justice system and that should worry every fair-minded American, regardless of political affiliation."

The comments come as the exact charges against Trump remain unclear. A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney's office said the office was in contact with Trump's attorneys "to coordinate his surrender," noting the indictment remains under seal.

Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher on Friday said Bragg should "quickly unseal" the indictment. "The American people expect our justice system to treat everyone equally, and this decision raises serious questions about the political motivations behind the prosecution," Gallagher said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman did not immediately respond to an inquiry seeking comment.

Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan shortly after news of the indictment broke wrote on Twitter: "No one is above the law, not even a former President."

"That's a good thing," Pocan said. "It means our democracy is strong."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republicans slam Donald Trump indictment