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McCarthy calls for no protests or violence if Trump is arrested

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sunday he wants no protests or violence if former President Trump is indicted or arrested.

Why it matters: Media reports and the former president's own comments signal that an indictment from the Manhattan district attorney's office could be imminent, with Trump urging supporters to "[p]rotest, take our nation back!"


Driving the news: At a press conference to kick off House Republicans' annual retreat in Orlando, Florida, McCarthy told reporters: "I don't think people should protest this, no."

  • The House speaker also defended Trump, arguing he "doesn't believe that either" and is "not talking in a harmful way," though he said the two of them haven't actually spoken about the matter.
  • "Nobody should harm one another in this. ... We want calmness out there," McCarthy said. "I do not believe there should be any violence [in response] to this."

The intrigue: McCarthy joins a surprising hardline House Republican also discouraging protests — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

  • "We don't need to protest," Greene tweeted on Saturday, arguing that Democrats are "sealing their own fate" in the 2024 election if Trump is indicted.

The backdrop: The local prosecutors are investigating whether Trump violated campaign finance laws with hush money payments he allegedly paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

  • McCarthy has slammed the probe, led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, as politically motivated and said he will direct House committees to investigate whether Bragg's office is using federal funds to conduct the investigation.
  • McCarthy revealed at the press conference that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the chair of the Judiciary Committee, would take charge of the probe.
  • "I talked to Chairman Jim Jordan today, I think you’ll see action tomorrow," he said.
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