One Republican lawmaker protested the indictment of former President Donald Trump by giving away free ham sandwiches at the Longworth House Office Building on Friday.
The effort from Alabama GOP Rep. Barry Moore — which included the giveaway of ham sandwiches in plastic bags with “Indict this!” written on them — comes after a Manhattan grand jury voted Thursday to indict the former president.
“The sandwiches are ready! Hope to see you soon in Longworth 1504,” Moore said in a tweet Friday.
Prior to giving out the sandwiches, Moore wrote in a tweet Thursday: “Welcome to the club, @realDonaldTrump. In honor of the fact that the Manhattan DA could indict a ham sandwich next, I will be handing them out tomorrow in Longworth 1504 at noon. All are welcome!”
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Speaking to Fox News on Friday, Moore said the ham sandwich initiative — offered as a response to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s charges against Trump — goes further than support for the former president.
“I think we have no choice. At some point, we’ve gotta unite behind him because of liberty,” Moore said. “I think our job, as members of the House, is to actually stand for your liberty, whether you agree with us or not.”
“I think we have no choice but to come to his rescue at this point, not because it may be politically expedient for the president, but for the country,” he added.
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Speaking about the effort on Thursday, Moore told Gray Television he’s looking to send the message that “Donald Trump has been a target.”
“I was one of those conservatives that was indicted by the political system,” Mosaid. “I’ve been on the other side of that table. I know what it’s like to be targeted for being conservative and actually standing for the American people. I wanna welcome the president to that club, unfortunately. We’re gonna support him.”
In 2014, Moore, according to AL.com, was “found not guilty on charges of perjury and giving false statements in connection to an investigation into economic development projects involving then-Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard.”
The exact charges of the indictment are still under seal, but Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said Thursday evening that Trump could face more than 30 counts next week when he’s arraigned.
Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush money payments made leading up to the 2016 presidential election. These include the $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and the $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Fox News reported and revealed in 2018 a series of hush money payments made to both McDougal and Daniels, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York and the Federal Election Commission both investigated those payments.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Daniels payment in 2019, even as Michael Cohen, a former Trump attorney, implicated him as part of a plea deal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.