If it’s FRIDAY… Manhattan grand jury indicts Trump in hush-money probe, making him first ex-president to face criminal charges… Republicans, including Trump’s 2024 rivals, rally to his defense… President Biden, who travels to Mississippi after the violent tornado there, stays silent about Trump’s indictment, NBC’s Peter Nicholas writes… NBC’s Laura Jarrett lists five things to look for when the indictment is unsealed… And a pro-Trump Super PAC attacks Ron DeSantis in a new TV ad.
But FIRST... Yes, the indictment of former President Donald Trump is a historic first — yet only for this democracy.
As the New York Times’ Peter Baker smartly notes, plenty of other former world leaders have gone to jail or faced charges.
“In Israel, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spent more than a year in prison for bribery, fraud and other charges while the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is currently on trial on similar charges.”
“In Italy, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who just regained some power as part of a governing coalition, has faced 35 criminal court cases during his long career, although he was definitively convicted just once for tax fraud and sentenced to a year of community service. Just last month, he was acquitted on charges of bribing witnesses at a previous underage prostitution trial.”
“Other leaders of democratic nations convicted in recent years include former Presidents Jacques Chirac (embezzlement) and Nicolas Sarkozy (influence peddling) in France, former President Park Geun-hye (corruption) in South Korea and former President Chen Shui-bian (bribery) in Taiwan.”
So American exceptionalism — until now.
The other thing that makes Trump’s indictment not so shocking is the list of his former associates who have gone to jail or faced charges.
Former campaign chair Paul Manafort (whom Trump pardoned). Former legal fixer Michael Cohen (who likely will play a starring role in this Trump case). The Trump Organization’s Allen Weisselberg. Roger Stone (whom Trump also pardoned). Steve Bannon (the recipient of another Trump pardon).
And remember this isn’t the only front where Trump faces legal jeopardy — there’s also Jan. 6, those classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and the election-interference case in Georgia.
Politically, don’t expect too much to change early on, as we’ve written before.
Past legal actions and controversies involving Trump have rarely moved the political needle, especially among Republicans. And the GOP has once again rallied to his defense.
But what would stand out is some GOP politician with heft asking the central political question here: Is the GOP really going to nominate someone facing criminal charges? On possibly multiple fronts?
Now THAT would be the extraordinary event.
Headline of the Day
Data Download: The number of the day is ... $130,000
That’s how much money is at the center of Trump’s indictment — it’s the amount that was allegedly paid during Trump’s 2016 campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump 10 years prior while he was married (which Trump has denied).
It’s not yet clear what charge or charges Trump is facing, but NBC News’ Jonathan Dienst, Adam Reiss and Dareh Gregorian write that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg “was known to be focusing on a felony charge of falsifying business records. That charge carries a maximum prison sentence of four years.”
It’s also not clear when Trump’s indictment will be made public, per NBC News’ Laura Jarrett. But she breaks down five things to look for when that indictment is unsealed, as well as what’s next in the legal process.
Other numbers to know
9: How many soldiers died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash during a Wednesday night during a training exercise.
2: The number of months that Russia ordered American journalist Evan Gershkovich to be held for after accusing him of espionage, a charge his employer, the Wall Street Journal, vehemently denies.
About 22: How many rail cars derailed in Minnesota early Thursday, forcing an evacuation as some cars burst into flames.
1.11%: How much Manhattan’s population grew by last year after shrinking by 5.87% in 2021.
7: The number of Republican House members targeted by a new League of Conservation Voters and House Majority Forward connected TV ad buy criticizing them for the GOP’s new energy bill the groups frame as helping polluters, per a press release.
About 6%: The estimated portion of American adults who own an AR-15, per a new Washington Post analysis of polling.
About $9 million: The amount that a non-profit group funded by former Education Secretary Betsy Devos spent on state elections last year.
Eyes on 2024: Republicans rally around Trump
When Trump has been in trouble in recent years, Republicans have rallied behind him. And so far, the Republicans who might be running against him are coming to his aid, NBC News’ Sahil Kapur and Henry Gomez report.
“Arresting a presidential candidate on a manufactured basis should not happen in America.” Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement.
“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis added on Twitter.
“When you get into political prosecutions like this, it’s more about revenge than it is about justice,” former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Fox News.
Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, said on CNN, “I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage. And it appears for millions of Americans to be nothing more than a political prosecution.”
And South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott told NBC News in a statement that “this is a travesty, and it should not be happening in the greatest country on Earth.”
In other campaign news…
A million here, a million there: A pro-Trump super PAC has reserved more than a million dollars in ad time on CNN and Fox News, and is out with a new ad attacking DeSantis.
The governor goes up to Georgia: DeSantis traveled to a Georgia gun store outside of Atlanta on Wednesday, giving remarks for about an hour about supporting the 2nd Amendment. He also met with GOP Gov Brian Kemp, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Prosecutor playing defense: The Florida county prosecutor fired by DeSantis is coming to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s defense amid the GOP criticism of him related to the Trump indictment.
Not just a Veep: The Associated Press reports on how former Vice President Mike Pence is stressing more than just his vice presidential experience while on the pseudo-campaign trail.
Bluegrass buddies: An outside group backing Kentucky Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s gubernatorial bid is up with a new TV ad touting Cameron’s backing from Trump and his actions as attorney general.
Newsom’s news: California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is launching a new PAC to spend money and organize in “states where freedom is most under attack,” per Politico.
Supreme Showdown: The Final Countdown
The stakes are high for Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, and former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, a conservative, as they head into the final weekend of Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race, which could shift the balance of the state’s highest court.
Here are the latest developments in the race:
Ad allegations: New reporting in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel alleged that two outside groups backing Kelly in the race are running ads that misrepresent a 2019 case overseen by Protasiewicz.
The ads, one funded by Fair Courts America and another by WMC Issues Mobilization Council, allege that Protasiewicz gave a light sentence to the perpetrator in a sexual assault case and that the victim was unsatisfied by the sentence. In fact, the victim told the Journal Sentinel, she had no reservations about the length of the sentence and faced emotional distress after the campaign ads started running on TV.
Distancing from Trump: NBC News’ Adam Edelman spoke to Kelly earlier this week, who said he wasn’t looking for an endorsement from former President Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday’s election. Trump endorsed Kelly in 2020, when Kelly ran and lost a campaign to keep the Supreme Court seat to which he was appointed by then-GOP Gov. Scott Walker.
Most expensive state judicial race: For weeks now, Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race has been the most expensive state judicial race in U.S. history. Roughly $24.5 million has been spent by campaigns and outside groups since the Feb. 21 primary, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.
Protasiewicz’s campaign has spent the most in that time frame, unloading over $10.6 million on ads. Pro-Kelly outside groups WMC Issues Mobilization Council and Fair Courts America have spent the second and third most in the race, $5.6 million and $2.7 million combined. Kelly’s campaign has spent almost $800,000 since the primary.
Closing arguments: In her final ads in the race, Protasiewicz stressed the need for fairness and impartiality, with a narrator in one ad painting Kelly as an “extremist,” and calling Protasiewicz a “common sense judge.” Similarly, in his final ad, Kelly stressed impartiality and emphasized his focus on the rule of law.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world
A federal judge knocked down a piece of the Affordable Care Act mandating insurers cover certain preventive care screenings for free.
The White House wants regulators to install new regulations it believes will shore up the banking system, including some that were relaxed during the Trump administration.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that House Republicans are “very close” to an agreement within their conference on a debt ceiling bill, and they will pass their own measure if Biden won’t negotiate.
