ST. LOUIS — Reaction is pouring in over former President Donald Trump's indictment.
As he denies allegations, 5 On Your Side wanted to know what impact it could have on his fight to return to the White House?
The case centers around some 100 classified documents. No other president has been charged with a federal crime. A local law professor said he believes although historic, it might not matter to Trump's devout following.
Next month, Republicans are expected to decide when the party will hold its Iowa Caucus, widely believed to be a potential indicator of who could best represent the party. Early reports suggest rumblings of mid-January.
Will this week's indictment of Trump weigh on voters’ minds?
"When you are prosecuting someone this popular with millions of supporters, it's not just about the black letter law. It's really about what is the purpose, what is the point, what are you going to accomplish?" SLU law professor Anders Walker said.
Although he calls the indictment a "national embarrassment," he says not all voters will see it that way.
"What exactly did he take? Did he take information that could jeopardize troops in the field, operations that are underway, [or] national security and what was his motive? Was he planning to sell those documents? If they've got something like that then I think there's a good case to put him in jail but if he just wanted to show off in Mar-a-Lago with a few souvenirs from his time off at the White House, then maybe it's not such a big deal,” Walker continued.
As the case works its way through federal court, reaction is pouring in.
"I think it makes people think a little bit more … It is a big deal. I think we should care … I think it's important to be honest,” voter Ruud Rinkle said.
"He's going to run on a sail like it's going to be no issue whatsoever,” voter Nikolas Velleca added. "I think they shouldn’t’ve done it because he was always going to get away with it and now that they've done it, the bar is now so low that we can have infinite indictments with no repercussions."
"Even if he ends up in a conviction, he might be pardoned … If he wins the 2024 election, he might pardon himself. If Ron DeSantis wins, he'll probably pardon him anyway,” Walker said.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson responded to the indictment, tweeting:
"When certain political leaders are protected while in power and others targeted when out, we do not have a just justice system."
Meanwhile, many democrats are calling for accountability.