Former President Donald Trump pled not guilty to 34 felony counts related to fraudulent accounting on Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan. Credit: Shutterstock / rblfmr

Texas politicians from both sides of the aisle are weighing in following former President Donald Trump’s historic arraignment on Tuesday afternoon.

In a New York courtroom, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts relating to hush money paid to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Prolific tweeter U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wasted no time in using his favorite social media platform to air grievances against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

“The arrest and arraignment of former President Donald Trump by a left-wing Soros prosecutor today is making a mockery of the rule of law,” Cruz tweeted. “Not only is the indictment frivolous, this political persecution marks a dark day for our country.”

Cruz’s tweet echos a false claim Trump has made that liberal billionaire George Soros funneled money into Bragg’s election coffers. Soros never directly funded Bragg, but did provide funds to a group that supported Bragg and other candidates for prosecutorial positions, according to the Washington Post.

Minus the Soros claim, Cruz’s sentiments on the arraignment were in line with those of U.S Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican whose district includes part of San Antonio.

In a Fox News interview from Monday, the firebrand congressman slammed Bragg’s decision to charge Trump with felonies instead of misdemeanors. He claimed the DA otherwise favored lenient crime policies.

U.S. Rep Greg Casar, a Democrat whose district includes downtown San Antonio, saw nothing but positive in the former Republican president’s arraignment.

“May some justice finally be served to the Grifter in Chief, and may all the people harmed, disrespected, and misrepresented by his time in office feel some semblance of accountability,” Casar said in an emailed statement.

San Antonio Democratic U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro also weighed in, saying Trump’s indictment is evidence of the U.S. justice system working as it should to hold people accountable for their actions.

“While the arraignment of a former president is unprecedented, the Manhattan District Attorney has shown great courage in holding Donald Trump accountable,” Castro said in an emailed statement. “To allow a president to break the law with impunity would set a dangerous precedent for American democracy, encouraging future presidents to do the same. May justice be served.”

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This article appears in Mar 22 – Apr 4, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...