Donald Trump’s 2024 GOP primary opponents have come out in response to the former president reportedly being indicted on federal charges.
Trump got ahead of the reports on June 8 and said he was informed by his lawyers that the Department of Justice had indicted him in the case of the former president allegedly mishandling classified information and not cooperating with the federal government in returning the materials.
The charges, according to ABC News, are “willful retention of national defense information, corruptly concealing [documents], conspiracy to obstruct justice, [and] false statements.”
Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., blasted the reported indictment.
“The Biden regime, which is realizing they can’t beat or cheat their way to another victory, has taken the unprecedented step to indict President Trump amid reports that the Biden family accepted $10 million in illegal bribes from foreign nationals,” said MAGA Inc. spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. “America is a nation that has become plagued by a two-tier system of justice that must be confronted and destroyed. This will only be done when we reelect President Donald J. Trump.”
Trump’s GOP opponents expressed outrage over the reported indictment.
“I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the middle of an election,” Vivek Ramaswamy wrote in a Twitter post.
“This is an affront to every citizen: we cannot devolve into a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its political opponents,” he added. “It’s hypocritical for the DOJ to selectively prosecute Trump but not Biden.”
Ramaswamy explained that “it would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren’t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics” and, if elected, he would “pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025, and restore the rule of law in our country.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson reiterated his call for Trump to end his comeback bid for the White House.
“With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time, our country finds itself in a position that weakens our democracy,” he said in a statement.
“Donald Trump’s actions—from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law—should not define our nation or the Republican Party,” continued Hutchinson. “This is a sad day for our country. While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction. This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign.”
Businessman Perry Johnson said he would pardon Trump.
“I was the first candidate to call for @JoeBiden to #PardonTrump so the country can move on to the important issues facing the country like $32 trillion in debt, a broken border, and a war in Ukraine. I stand by it. Pardon Trump now!” he posted on Twitter.
Conservative commentator Larry Elder decried America’s justice system.
“More partisan prosecution! Hillary violates the Espionage Act—yet skates. FBI/DOJ whistleblowers tell of 2-tiered justice. FBI informant doc claims Joe & Hunter got $10mil in bribes. O.J. Simpson will catch the killer or killers of Ron and Nicole before the Hunter probe is over,” he posted on Twitter.
From The Epoch Times