Arizona politicians react to indictment of former President Donald Trump

PHOENIX — A lawyer for Donald Trump said Thursday he’s been told he has been indicted in New York, making Trump the first former president to be charged with a crime.

Arizona politicians were quick to speak on the unprecedented news.

Kari Lake, the former Arizona gubernatorial candidate who latched herself to Trump during her campaign, called it a “dark moment in the history of our nation.”

“This political prosecution should receive bipartisan condemnation,” Lake, a Republican, said in a statement.

“The precedent this sets threatens to further divide a country that already seems to be on the verge of tearing itself apart.”

The New York district attorney’s investigation centered on money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation as politically motivated, was expected to surrender to authorities next week, though the details were still being worked out, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.

“This is clear and brazen political persecution,” Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar said in a tweet.

Fellow GOP U.S. Rep Andy Biggs had similar thoughts:

President Donald J. Trump has just been indicted by an extremist NY District Attorney.

No president of the United States has ever been criminally indicted.

Trump Derangement Syndrome has infiltrated our judicial system and if they can come for him, they can come for anyone.

— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) March 30, 2023

Ruben Gallego, a Democrat who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona in 2024, said he would be waiting on the results of the case before making a judgement.

“In America we believe in the rule of law,” Gallego said in a tweet. “We should wait to hear from the grand jury before jumping to conclusions.”

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema declined comment on the indictment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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