Former president Donald Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr raged against the news that a grand jury in Manhattan indicted their father, calling it “third world prosecutorial misconduct.”
Their words come after the New York City grand jury voted to indict the former president on charges of falsifying business records related to payments he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep a sexual relationship secret.
Eric Trump, Mr Trump’s youngest son from his first marriage to Ivana Trump, said the indictment was a political witch hunt given that the former president is a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
“This is third world prosecutorial misconduct,” he tweeted. “It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.”
Mr Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, also criticised the indictment on Truth Social.
“WTF?!? Big news in the weaponization of our Govt against their political enemies,” he said.
Later on his show Triggered with Don Jr, he expanded on his thoughts.
“Let’s be clear, folks, this is like communist-level s***,” he said. “This is stuff that would make Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, it would make them blush.”
Mr Trump’s indictment came after New York law enforcement officials put in place security measures in Lower Manhattan, where the borough’s criminal court is located. The grand jury is also reportedly looking into a hush money payment to another woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
The grand jury had previously been expected to take a break that was planned ahead of time.
Mr Trump has become the first former president to be indicted in history. But he also faces a civil probe from the New York Attorney General’s office for his falsifying the value of his business assets; a criminal probe from the Justice Department for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his keeping of presidential documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach; and a criminal probe over his effort to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
