Former President Donald Trump turned his 34-count indictment in New York City into a lucrative fundraising opportunity. The indictment has also led to a surge in his poll numbers against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination. Trump is being charged with falsifying business records, which he claims are part of an ongoing vendetta by politically-motivated prosecutors. Straight Arrow News contributor Newt Gingrich says the Trump indictment sets a bad precedent for the U.S. justice system that will hurt America for years to come.

The indictment of President Trump is very, very troubling. It’s the first time a president of the United States has ever been indicted like this — the commander-in-chief — somebody who’s also now running for president again. It sets a terrible precedent. And as we go into this whole process of using our criminal justice system as a weapon, it reminds me of Colleen McCullough’s great books on Caesar, starting with “The First Man in Rome.” It’s where she records how the Roman Republic devoured itself with bitter political infighting and with the kind of rule-breaking that we’re seeing. 

The indictment itself is an absurdity. In 34 counts, there’s not a single mention of a crime. And, many lawyers have pointed this out; I’m not a lawyer but I can tell you, the lawyers I’ve listened to all think this is absurd. And so I think what you have is a political district attorney filing a political indictment in a way which further corrupts the entire criminal justice system, and I think setting a precedent which is going to be terrible for the future of the American system. 

So you need to pay very careful attention to the next few months. There are two more cases coming down the road and the basic rule is simple: They want to destroy Donald Trump because he terrifies them. He is clearly going to change the corrupt bureaucratic systems, and they’re doing everything they can to survive. And that’s really what’s at stake. It’s a fight between an outsider populist who’s willing to take them head-on and a system trying desperately to preserve itself. So you ought to pay careful attention, because this isn’t politics. This is historic.