On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump made his first court appearance in the state of New York, pleading “not guilty” to charges related to an alleged $130,000 payment in hush money to former porn actress Stormy Daniels.
During the White House press briefing, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the subject, asking whether President Joe Biden faces the possibility of being indicted.
“President Biden is a lawyer — as a lawyer, is he concerned at all that a local DA indicting a former president could down the line open up the possibility, set the precedent that local DAs that don’t like former President Biden could indict him?” Doocy asked.
“I’m not gonna comment from here,” the press secretary answered.
Despite KJP’s response, she knows that Doocy’s question is a strong possibility, and that terrifies the White House.
Doocy then asked if the White House denies that the Trump arraignment is a top issue facing the U.S., to which the press secretary answered that it was Doocy’s assessment, not hers.
“That’s your assessment, that’s not my assessment,” the press secretary answered. “I am just laying out the facts that we are just not gonna comment on an ongoing case from here and we’ve been very consistent, we’ve been very prudent and we’re gonna stick there.”
Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday and flew from Palm Beach, Florida, to New York City on Monday for the arraignment. The former president is accused of making a $130,000 payment to Daniels in 2016 to keep her from publicly discussing an alleged extramarital affair prior to the election.
The indictment is being seen as an unprecedented move by New York prosecutors, as it is the first time a former president of the United States has been charged with a crime. The indictment is also the first known criminal prosecution of a sitting or former president of the United States.
The charges against Trump come after a months-long investigation into his financial dealings, as well as alleged hush money payments made to women who claimed to have had affairs with him. The investigation began in 2018 and was led by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the indictment a “witch hunt.”
The indictment is likely to have significant implications for Trump’s legal future, and will likely have a major impact on the upcoming trial. It is unclear how the case will be resolved, but it could result in Trump being forced to testify or face criminal charges. It is also unclear if the indictment will be thrown out or if the case will proceed to trial.
“Does the White House believe that a former president could or should be indicted?”
Karine Jean-Pierre: “I’m just not gonna comment” pic.twitter.com/PLg88LF6TM
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 4, 2023
