Trump links indictment to his leading GOP polls, lawyer says

Former President Trump feels wronged and "disappointed that this has become a sad day for our country," one of his lawyers said Thursday after news broke that Trump had been indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Driving the news: Trump lawyer Alina Habba told Fox News that the hush-money case involving Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels is "the most legally pathetic" case, and predicted Trump "will be vindicated" at trial.

• Habba cast the indictment as an effort to prevent Trump from becoming president again.
• Trump also faces criminal investigations in Georgia over allegations that he tried to change 2020 election results there, and by the Justice Department, which is examining his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and his handling of classified documents.

What they're saying: In a phone interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, Habba said that she didn't yet know the scope of the indictment, but "I'm equally as shocked as the rest of the world right now."

• "I can't say that he's surprised," she said when asked to describe Trump's state of mind.
• "I think his sentiments are that this is a result of him leading in the polls, doing incredibly well, he is the leading candidate ... and when people are afraid of someone being successful and fixing the mess that is our country, they come after you."

The backdrop: Habba has been leading Trump's defense in a civil case from New York Attorney General Letitia James against the Trump business and for alleged financial fraud.

• She said the fact that Trump is facing five different investigations "is the exact major problem of politicizing the Justice Department throughout the country."

What's next: Because he's a former president, Trump's security team will be in close coordination with the DA to arrange his next steps: Fingerprinting and taking a mugshot.

• "There will be — I wouldn’t call it a surrender — an arraignment, just like anyone else would do, " Habba said.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Bret Baier's name, which was previously spelled as Brett.