(UnitedVoice.com) – Former President Donald Trump’s home was raided in August 2022. The FBI confiscated hundreds of classified documents from the premises after a long battle between the 45th POTUS and National Archives. He has now been indicted on dozens of federal crimes, and Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have a lot to say about it.
The Indictment
On June 8, a federal grand jury indicted the former president on 37 criminal charges. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s charges against Trump include making false statements to Congress, concealing a document in a federal investigation, corruptly concealing a document, willful retention of national defense information, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, among other charges.
Trump is accused of keeping classified and secret documents related to America’s nuclear plans and other critical national defense information at his home in Florida. Photos submitted by the DOJ show boxes stacked in his bathroom, a ballroom, and other locations. He’s also accused of discussing the information he had with people not authorized to access it, asking his lawyer to destroy evidence, and other criminal acts.
The former president previously said he declassified the information, but the special counsel alleges he has a recording of Trump admitting he had documents he wasn’t supposed to be in possession of.
Republicans React
DeSantis reacted to the indictment on Twitter before it was unsealed to the public. He accused the DOJ of being weaponized and said there’s “an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation.” If elected president, he said he would “bring accountability to the” department.
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott reacted to the indictment on Fox News, saying the charges against Trump are an example of a system where the scales of justice are weighted. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA) demanded Congress defund Smith’s office.
Not everyone was willing to excuse the indictment, though. Trump’s former attorney general, Bill Barr, appeared on “Fox News Sunday” to dispute the president’s claims that it was a witch hunt. He said the idea that the former POTUS is the victim is “ridiculous” and called the indictment both detailed and “very, very damning.” He also pushed back on claims that other presidents have kept documents, saying those cases were all overseen by the National Archives.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is running against Trump, called the indictment against the former president “completely self-inflicted.” He said that he thinks the facts presented by the DOJ are “damning.” Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, another GOP candidate, also supported the indictment against the ex-president.
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