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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Top Republicans, including some of Donald Trumps potential rivals for the GOPs 2024 presidential nomination, rushed to his defense Saturday after Trump said he is bracing for possible arrest.

The idea of indicting a former president of the United States is deeply troubling to me as it is to tens of millions of Americans, said former Vice President Mike Pence, a likely Trump rival, during a visit to Iowa, an early-voting state. Tech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, campaigning in South Carolina, said he didnt want to live in a country where the party in power is able to use police force to arrest its political opposition.

The reaction underscores the political risks faced by would-be opponents who are eager to convince voters that it is time to move on from the former president, but who must contend with the fact that he remains the most popular figure in the party. The multiple investigations Trump is facing his post on social media about the Manhattan district attorneys probe led to the public declarations of support remain deeply unpopular with his supporters and criticizing Trump too harshly risks alienating his loyal base.

Trump garnered similar support last summer after the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago club as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents. The search also proved a fundraising boon.

Among those coming to Trumps defense were House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who said a possible indictment would be an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against Trump.

McCarthy, R-Calif., said he would direct relevant GOP-led House committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions. McCarthy has not endorsed Trumps White House campaign, but Trump helped McCarthy secure the speakership after a contentious campaign that required multiple rounds of voting.

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican and an early Trump endorser, said action by the district attorney would be unAmerican.

The comments came hours after Trump claimed in a social media post that he expects to be arrested this coming week as New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg mulls charges in an investigation into hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with Trump. A Trump lawyer and spokesman said Saturday that Trump, who has long denied the charges, had been responding in that post to media reports and had no independent knowledge of any pending legal action.

Trump, in a message on his Truth Social network, nonetheless declared that, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. He then called on his supporters to PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!! recalling the pleas he made before the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Any potential violence spurred by Trumps comments could change the tenor of reaction. But on Saturday, several of Trumps declared and potential rivals were quick to blast the district attorneys investigation.

Pence, who has been escalating his criticism of the former president in recent weeks, said the news was particularly troubling, happening in what appears to be a politically-charged environment in New York where the attorney general and other elected officials literally campaigned on a pledge to prosecutor the former president.

No one is above the law, he added. Im confident President Trump can take care of himself. My focus is going to continue to be on the issues that are affecting the American people.

Pence had been noncommittal when asked Thursday if Trump should drop out if he is indicted. I think its a free country. Everybody can make their own decisions, he said.

Trump has said he would continue his presidential campaign even if indicted.

Ramaswamy, who is already a declared candidate, earlier called on Bragg to reconsider.

A Trump indictment would be a national disaster, Ramaswamy tweeted. It is un-American for the ruling party to use police power to arrest its political rivals.

Representatives for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another potential candidate who is seen as Trumps most serious rival, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday a decision publicized by a super PAC supporting Trumps candidacy. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, another declared candidate, did not address the investigation while campaigning in South Carolina.

Ramaswamy called on Haley and DeSantis to join him in condemning the possible indictment.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who won his race in 2022 with Trumps endorsement, said he had been asked by multiple reporters if an indictment would lead him to rescind support for Trumps campaign.

The answer is: hell no. A politically motivated prosecution makes the argument for Trump stronger, he tweeted. We simply dont have a real country if justice depends on politics.

Prosecutors have been investigating hush money payments made to two women who alleged sexual encounters with Trump decades ago. A grand jury has been hearing from witnesses including former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who says he orchestrated payments in 2016 to the women in exchange for their silence.

Trump denies the encounters and has cast the investigation as a witch hunt by a Democratic prosecutor bent on sabotaging Trumps latest presidential campaign. Trump has said he believes an indictment would help him in the 2024 race.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a longtime ally, said he agreed.

The prosecutor in New York has done more to help Donald Trump get elected, Graham said Saturday at the Vision 24 conference in North Charleston, South Carolina. Theyre doing this because theyre afraid of Donald Trump.

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Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Keene, New Hampshire, and Michelle R. Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

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Deeply troubling: Mike Pence concerned about possible Donald Trump arrest - AL.com

To the editor: After four years of sycophantic devotion to President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence followed the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021, as he was required to do. We credit him for that. (Following the law on Jan. 6 was the least Pence could do. Why are we praising him? Opinion, March 14)

Two years later, Pence has expressed anger and assigned blame to Trump, but as columnist Jonah Goldberg points out, he has refused interviews by the Justice Department and the House Jan. 6 committee. Why would Pence want to protect Trump, who put his familys lives in danger on Jan. 6?

Goldberg knows that making political calculations is part of running for office. I believe that Pence anticipated succeeding Trump. He has been trying to position himself as the least antagonistic to pro- and anti-Trumpers, and favored by independents.

We are a divided nation that needs honest, transparent, non-discriminatory public servants. I dont see Pence like that.

Gilbert H. Skopp, Calabasas

..

To the editor: Goldberg is choosing not to see the obvious. Our country is divided into three voting factions, not two: the MAGA crowd, the Democrats and the undecideds, who these days seem to include voters we used to call Republicans.

No candidate can win the presidency with the votes of only one of these groups.

Republicans running for president must please both the MAGA crowd and some undecideds. This requires them to say things they dont really believe, as well as things they really do believe.

The guessing game, particularly for the undecideds, lies in figuring out which statements the candidates believe, and which ones they dont. There is no chance the candidates will actually tell them, or will be consistent in what they say, because that would mean winning some votes, but losing others.

June Ailin Sewell, Marina del Rey

..

To the editor: How is Goldberg sure that Pence wanted to do the right thing on Jan. 6?

I remember reading multiple stories about Pence asking conservative leaders if he had any power to throw the election to Trump. Former Vice President Dan Quayle was reported as responding that Pence didnt have the authority to change the election results.

A lifelong Democrat, I am shocked to find myself thankful for Quayle, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for standing up for the truth.

Only in the last two decades has the GOP devolved into a win-at-all-costs party. God help us all if it takes over the entire federal government again.

Cathy Gregory, Lompoc

..

To the editor: I was very relieved that Pence decided to do the right thing on Jan. 6. Since then, I have been disgusted by his cowardice.

No husband or father that I know, whose wife and child were put in danger on Jan. 6, would have so little to say starting Jan. 7. Pences reluctance to talk to the Justice Department or the House Jan. 6 committee has been very telling to me about his lack of character.

Donna Henley, Chino

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Letters to the Editor: Mike Pence did the right thing on Jan. 6, and ... - Los Angeles Times

Former vice president Mike Pence has filed a motion asking a judge to block a federal grand-jury subpoena for his testimony relating to January 6. His legal team is arguing that he is protected by the Constitutions speech or debate clause.

A source told CNN that the motion was filed Friday night. Special counsel Jack Smith is seeking documents and testimony related to January 6, 2021, and wants Pence to testify about his interactions with Trump leading up to the 2020 election and the day of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Attorney General Merrick Garlandappointed Smith in November to oversee the investigation into the alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trumps alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Whereas many would expect Pence to assert executive privilege as a former member of the second branch, Pences team has decided to go a different route, claiming legislative privilege. According to his team, Pence was also acting as president of the Senate on January 6, meaning he is shielded by the Constitutions speech-or-debate clause, which protects lawmakers from certain law-enforcement actions targeted at their legislative duties.

As president of the Senate, the vice president breaks ties when the chamber is deadlocked. Every four years in January, he or she also leads the electoral-vote count that facilitates the transfer of power from one administration to the next.

It is admittedly a constitutionally murky area with no clear outcome, explained political scientist Mark Rozell to Politico. Since there is a legislative function involved in the vice president presiding over the Senate, a court very well could decide that it must address the scope of the speech or debate privilege and whether it would apply in this case.

Efforts to resist the subpoena could be complicated by the release of Pences memoir detailing his interactions with Trump leading up to January 6. His team previously indicated to the Justice Department that hed be open to answering questions if they were limited to the matters he had previously discussed publicly.

Story continues

Also on Friday, former president Donald Trump filed a separate, sealed motion attempting to prevent Pence from speaking to a grand jury on certain matters related to the probe on the grounds of executive privilege, as first reported by CNN. The motion argues that the president can shield aides from sharing internal communications.

However, some observers say Pences motion may prove to be more effective. Executive privilege has limits that can be overcome in criminal proceedings, while protections from the Constitutions speech-or-debate clause have remained mostly impenetrable.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard arguments in February in a similar case. Representative Scott Perry (R., Pa.) is attempting to shield access to his cellphone from January 6 investigators. He too is asserting legislative privilege.

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Mike Pence Asks Judge to Block Subpoena for January 6 Testimony

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who was subpoenaed last month by the special counsel overseeing investigations into former President Donald Trump relating to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, filed a motion on Friday to block the subpoena, according to reports.

CNN reported that a source familiar with the filing claimed Pence filed the motion on the basis that the U.S. Constitutions Speech or Debate clause protects him from providing testimony related to Jan. 6.

Former Vice President Mike Pence delivers a speech at The Heritage Foundation titled The Freedom Agenda and America's Future, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. ((Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))

The former VP has argued the subpoena was "unconstitutional and unprecedented," and he told reporters in February during a gaggle in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that his efforts to fight the subpoena are evidence of the "double standard" Republicans face.

PENCE RIPS 'TWO-TIERED JUSTICE SYSTEM' AS HE FIGHTS BIDEN DOJ SUBPOENA

"I'm going to fight the Biden DOJ subpoena for me to appear before the grand jury because I believe it's unconstitutional and it's unprecedented," Pence told reporters at the time. "Never before in American history has a vice president been summoned to appear in court to testify against the president with whom they serve."

Representatives for Pence did not immediately respond to questions regarding the filing.

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the National Press Club on Nov. 30, 2021 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Pences motion, which CNN said was filed as part of sealed proceedings, aims at placing a halt on his testimony as it relates to his duties as a legislator at the time of the riot.

TRUMP CALLS PENCE A VERY HONORABLE MAN AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH SUBPOENA

Pence has stated that his fight is on the principle of separation of powers and the Constitution, and that he "had no right" to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election during a joint meeting of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

He argued the Speech or Debate Clause in the Constitution prohibits him from being compelled by the Biden administration to appear in court, adding that he will fight the subpoena on that principle all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

The subpoena came after months of negotiations between the former VPs legal team and federal prosecutors.

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Special Counsel Jack Smith, who filed the subpoenae for Pences testimony, is looking into both documents and testimony related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, as well as Trumps possible mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.

Brandon Gillespie of Fox News contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Excerpt from:
Former Vice President Mike Pence files motion to block Jan. 6 subpoena ...

Well, he had his moment. Ever since he presided over the certification of the president's win on January 6, 2021, Mike Pence has made a life's work out of scarpering. He's always had hands like a hippo when it comes to politics, so he has absolutely no chance of running the double game of capitalizing on his big moment while still observing general omerta on behalf of his former boss. He doesn't have the finesse for that play. Maybe nobody does; but in Pence's case, it's like watching a toddler juggling chainsaws. As we learned on Monday, when Pence decided to fight a subpoena from special counsel Jack Smith. From CNN:

Yes, friends, Mike Pencewho for four years was our only vice president and who already has written about the events of January 6 in his widely unread memoiris arguing that he is covered by a privilege derived from the legislative branch, while his former boss is arguing he's protected by a privilege from an entirely separate branch. (How testifying about the events that led up to calls for his lynching qualifies as either "speech or debate" is a mystery to me.) There is absolutely no way this ploy should get any run from any judge who isn't asleep or dead. A while back, conservative former Judge J. Michael Luttig shredded Pence's strategy in The New York Times. Luttig was particularly good at dismantling Pence's claim that the subpoena was "unprecedented." Of course it is, Luttig notes, because the previous presidency* was.

The saddest thing about this situation is that I believe Pence is going through all these legal gymnastics partly to keep alive his prospects for 2024, which approximate those of Marianne Williamson, Lady Gaga, and Trigger. The moment he did his duty, he doomed himself in any future Republican primary. His GOP elephant is wandering the landscape with a bullet in its brain, waiting to fall over for good. And hardly anyone will notice.

Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.

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Mike Pence Fights Special Counsel Subpoena for Jan. 6 Testimony