The Republican Party is closing in on Trump ahead of his possible indictment for paying porn star Stormy Daniels

Michael Cohenformer personal attorney Donald Trump and a key witness in the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation, Alvin Braggabout him Trump’s payout to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, appeared in court again this Monday to clarify the testimony of Robert Costello, who was called to testify by the defense. The Republican Party is turning its back on the criticism against prosecutor Bragg. Costello, a former Cohen associate, said he was subpoenaed by Trump’s legal team, which could mean the defense believes his testimony could be used to cast doubt on Cohen’s.

For his part, Cohen, who at the time was in charge of pay $130,000 to a porn actress Stormy Daniels spoke before the grand jury twice last week and met more than 20 times with the Manhattan district attorney’s office. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to paying Daniels $130,000, which Trump would later return. With the latest moves by prosecutors suggesting that Trump will soon be indicted, the Republican Party has intensified its attacks on the judicial process.

Kevin McCarthy, a spokesman for the House Republican majority, said Bragg was “abusing his position” even though he avoided joining Trump’s call for supporters to protest his possible arrest via the Truth social network last Saturday. “I don’t think people should rail against this,” McCarthy said Sunday night.

Jim Jordan, a Republican member of the lower house and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, defended the trial as part of a prosecution against “a former president of the United States and a current candidate” for the 2024 election. Jordan criticized the trial in a letter he co-wrote with two other presidents of Republican committees and in which they accused Bragg of “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.” In addition, three Republicans said in the letter that they will open an investigation into the use of funds by Bragg’s office for orchestrate “politically motivated” persecution.

For his part, the governor of Florida and Donald Trump’s main rival in the Republican primaries, Ron DeSantis, avoided using the Manhattan district attorney’s promotion against the former president. Instead, DeSantis echoed rumors originating within the Trump circle that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s actions would be influenced Hungarian billionaire George Soros’ donations to the Democratic Party.