Alabama Republicans on Thursday slammed the indictment of former President Donald Trump as a “political witch hunt” intended to damage Trump in the 2024 election.

Trump was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury in connection to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. He is the first former president to be indicted.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who endorsed Trump’s 2024 run, called the indictment “an unprecedented step” and “a threat to our democracy,” adding, “Stop the witch hunt now”:

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, used similar language.

“After four years of liberal investigations designed to undermine a democratically elected Trump presidency, New York liberals are continuing the same playbook– trying to find anything to keep Trump out of office,” Strong said in a statement. “This is nothing more than a political witch hunt and an abuse of office by the Manhattan District Attorney. We must not stand for the politicization of our nation’s justice system to influence elections.”

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, sarcastically responded to the indictment by tweeting a certificate congratulating Trump for becoming a member of the “indicted for political purposes club.”

“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,” Moore tweeted, referring to his Washington office. “All are welcome!”

Moore was indicted, and acquitted, when he was a state representative in 2014 of perjury and giving false statements in connection to a public corruption probe focused on former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general under Trump and erstwhile U.S. senator from Alabama, first learned of the news of the indictment when contacted by AL.com on Thursday afternoon. He said that since Trump had not been served yet, he was declining to comment.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more Alabama reaction to the indictment comes in.