Many Wyoming Republicans are reacting with outrage to former President Donald Trump's indictment on 34 counts of bookkeeping fraud, the evidence of which was unsealed on Tuesday.
That day, Trump was arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse in New York City.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges and has lashed out against the judge hearing his case and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has brought the charges against him. Many conservatives have followed suit, saying the case is politically motivated.
Some of those critics, like U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, have brought up billionaire financier George Soros, who donated to a left-leaning political action committee that donated to Braggs 2021 campaign.
"It is infuriating that George Soros puppet, D.A. Alvin Bragg, could so blatantly abuse the best legal system the world has ever known," she said on Monday. "I would expect that President Trump will be cleared of these bogus charges quickly."
Hageman, who was endorsed by Trump in her 2022 campaign and has similarly endorsed his 2024 presidential campaign, offered further thoughts on Twitter on Tuesday.
"The Democrats obsession with getting Donald Trump has led to a fmr President of the U.S. being treated like political opponents are treated in Russia, China, Cuba, or other dictatorships," she said. "They hate him so much they don't care how much they harm our country & our justice system."
The charges Trump is facing are related to his alleged role in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, to quell her allegations of an affair, which Trump denies, amid his 2016 presidential campaign.
When Trump's indictment was unsealed, a new avenue was revealed that Bragg is also pursuing, involving claims the former president falsified the business records as part of a plan to deceive New York state tax authorities.
Both Daniel's and Trump's former attorney have spoken to the validity of the charges.
"Pretty Weak
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Cheyenne resident Jack Speight, who admits he doesnt like Trump, said he finds the case "pretty weak and possibly politically motivated." He said he would not have brought the case himself if he were in Bragg's shoes.
"They're taking misdemeanor charges and trying to bootstrap them into felonies," Speight said. "There's also all sorts of statute of limitations problems."
Speight, also a former assistant state attorney general, said a preponderance of evidence must be shown when bringing charges, which he finds the case to be lacking.
"I don't blame him (Trump) for being upset," Speight said.
There are no laws stopping a convicted felon from running for president. If Trump is found guilty for a felony while as president and has to serve jail time as a result, there are many unclear legal ramifications that would play out, but the majority of historical precedent shows that a sitting president cannot be charged with a crime.
Important Precedent
This is the first time in history that a former president is facing criminal charges.
"The indictment of a former president for the first time ever in our nation should alarm every one of us," the Wyoming Republican Party said in a statement.
"This overzealous Soros-financed prosecutor has no responsibility to attempt to enforce federal regulation, particularly campaign finance law. It appears the Biden administration is willing to abuse its police powers for political gain."
Even more moderate Republicans like Utah Senator Mitt Romney have expressed doubt about the indictment, saying it sets a "dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the publics faith in our justice system."
Although the Wyoming Democratic Party hasn't commented directly on the matter, it did make a post on social media Sunday, quoting former President Teddy Roosevelt, who said, "No man is above the law nor is one man below it; nor do we ask any mans permission when we require him to obey it."
Some Democrats have criticized the case though, saying it detracts from much more serious charges Trump could be facing in other investigations.
Deep State
Hageman and other Republicans have pointed to the case as an example of politically-charged prosecution and a "two-tiered criminal justice system." The Manhattan case will play out as Trump is in the height of his re-election campaign over the next 18 months.
"I also believe that this is a wake-up call for every American citizen," Hageman said. "If a rogue D.A. can persecute a former President because they don't like what he says, they can persecute all of us too. Its time to take our country back."
The State GOP had similar thoughts.
"The Deep State will use anything in its power to shut down the one political movement that puts YOU first," the party wrote. "Let's work together to restore a single-tiered Justice system in America."
Hageman has, for many years, attempted to bring attention to what she called in 2021, "the excess of government, the concept of the federal government making politically-charged decisions outside of its sphere of jurisdiction."
She is a member of the Subcommittee of the Weaponization of the Federal Government and the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government.
Leo Wolfson may be reached at Leo@CowboyStateDaily.com
