Crowd shows support for Trump amid looming possible indictment

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - With talks of a looming possible indictment of former President Donald Trump, supporters gathered at the Louisiana State Capitol to rally on Tuesday, March 21.

The Manhattan district attorney is looking into Trump for alleged hush money in one of his previous cases with adult actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump supporters spoke out and called the possible indictment a politically charged move from a Democrat district attorney. The former president is not only favored in Louisiana but is also leading among Republicans in the 2024 presidential race.

“This is not real. What this is, is a perversion of our justice system, and it cannot be allowed to happen,” said Woody Jenkins, chairman of the East Baton Rouge GOP. “We don’t need to try to rig the election by taking the leading candidate and trying to say they can’t run because that’s what this is.”

“You show me the man and I’ll show you the crime, but we just cannot let that happen. This is America, not Nazi Germany,” said Louisiana State Rep. Valarie Hodges, a Republican.

Never before has the United States seen a former president indicted for a crime and put behind bars. Should the country see President Trump in handcuffs and behind bars, what kind of precedent would that set?

“In order to get to an indictment position, there has to be, and there are, charges presented before a grand jury who takes evidence and makes a decision,” said Jill Craft, a Baton Rouge area defense attorney. “My greatest concern is the division that these discussions are having on our country.”

Craft said an indictment from the Manhattan district attorney would be a first, but it would also be somewhat familiar.

“It’s unique in so far as it would be an indictment of a former president, a formal indictment, and there has not been a pardon like in the instance of former President Nixon. But it’s not unique in so far as we have a world full of elected officials who face criminal jeopardy both in and out of office,” added Craft.

Democratic Congressman Troy Carter responded to the Tuesday rally and the possibility of Trump being arrested.

Congressman Carter said “no one is above the law, and we all must abide by them. Our legal system protects all of us, and I trust it. People have a first amendment right to assemble but should do it civilly without violating anyone’s individual rights and our laws.”

Trump made a post on social media that said he expected an indictment would be handed down Tuesday, March 21. However, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will make the ultimate decision on the case moving forward.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.