Stormy Daniels on Trump Indictment: 'Don't Want to Spill My Champagne'

Stormy Daniels is celebrating the unprecedented criminal indictment of a former president of the United States.

Ex-President Donald Trump became the first president in U.S. history to face criminal charges after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict him on Thursday over his alleged role in 2016 hush money payments to Daniels, an adult-film star. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the New York indictment and ongoing criminal investigations elsewhere are part of a politically motivated "witch hunt."

Daniels responded to the indictment by thanking her supporters and hinting that she had been celebrating the news with champagne. She also suggested that the Trump indictment had prompted a surge in sales of her branded merchandise and autograph requests.

"Thank you to everyone for your support and love!" Daniels tweeted. "I have so many messages coming in that I can't respond ... also don't want to spill my champagne [winking face with tongue emoji] #Teamstormy merch/autograph orders are pouring in, too! Thank you for that as well but allow a few extra days for shipment."

Shortly after the indictment was handed down, Daniels shared a tweet featuring a more muted response from her attorney Clark Brewster, while commenting, "Thank you."

"The indictment of Donald Trump is no cause for joy," Brewster tweeted. "The hard work and conscientiousness of the grand jurors must be respected. Now let truth and justice prevail. No one is above the law. #teamstormy"

Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer and "fixer," also appeared to be celebrating the news on Thursday. Cohen served time in prison after pleading guilty in 2018 to campaign finance and fraud charges related to the Daniels payments. He has since become an outspoken critic of Trump.

Cohen also testified before the grand jury as part of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation of the former president.

"[For] the first time in United States history, a former president has been held accountable and a formal indictment has been charged," Cohen said during an MSNBC interview. "More importantly than that, it shows that the rule of law .... justice still exists in this country. And that accountability really matters."

Newsweek has reached out via email to the office of Trump for comment.

Cohen's attorney Lanny J. Davis praised his client for his perseverance "on the path to justice and accountability" in a statement to Newsweek.

"On July 2, 2018, Michael Cohen made the brave decision to speak truth to power and accept the consequences," Davis said. "And he has done so ever since. I am proud to have been his lawyer and his friend through this long journey on the path to justice and accountability."

Reactions to the Trump indictment have been mixed, with many of the strongest responses being sharply divided along partisan lines. In addition to denouncements from Trump and his family, Republican Trump loyalists quickly lashed out at the indictment.

Some have echoed the former president's unsubstantiated claim that the indictment was part of a Democratic Party plan to "persecute" him.

"The Democrat Party's hatred for Donald Trump knows no bounds," Senator Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted. "The 'substance' of this political persecution is utter garbage. This is completely unprecedented and is a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system."