Mitt Romney calls Trump indictment 'overreach,' says charges were 'stretched' to suit a 'political agenda'

• GOP Sen. Mitt Romney criticized the Manhattan DA's indictment of Trump, calling it "overreach."
• Romney, a leading anti-Trump voice in the GOP, reiterated that he thinks Trump is "unfit for office."
• But his criticism of the Manhattan DA shows that skepticism of the charges is broad within the GOP.

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah came to Donald Trump's defense on Tuesday following the former president's indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

In a statement following the unsealing of the indictment, Romney — who voted to impeach Trump twice — reiterated his belief that Trump's "character and conduct make him unfit for office."

"Even so, I believe the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda," said Romney. "No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law."

"The prosecutor's overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public's faith in our justice system," he added.

The first former president to ever face charges, Trump was formally arraigned in Manhattan on Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal counts related to hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump's historic court appearance came after a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump last Thursday over his alleged role in a hush-money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has said he facilitated a $130,000 payment to Daniels with Trump's approval, in exchange for her silence about an affair she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Romney said that though the charges "will be duly considered and the outcome decided by a jury with an obligation to fulfill its responsibility," voters would "ultimately render their own judgment on the former President's political future."

The Utah Republican also called for "all elected leaders to discourage violence and anger in response to this situation."

In a statement of facts released Tuesday, prosecutors described the payment as an illegal campaign contribution and said Trump violated election laws. They also said Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment through a series of monthly checks that were characterized as legal fees, alleging that Trump falsified business records.

Trump and others "orchestrated" an "unlawful scheme" to suppress negative information about him during his 2016 campaign, the court brief said.

Trump has repeatedly blasted the indictment as a political witch hunt and his Republican allies have flocked to support him.