Less than an hour after former President Donald Trump announced that he has been indicted for mishandling classified documents, reactions came from opponents and supporters alike.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was one of the first congressional leaders to offer a statement on social media, calling it a “dark day” for America.
“It is inconceivable that a president would impeach the leading candidate who opposes him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades. he tweeted. “I, and all Americans who believe in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and a member of the House Judiciary Committee, responded to McCarthy, saying that he “I will do everything I can on the Judiciary Committee to resist” McCarthy’s influence. “Trump has a lot of criminal defense lawyers. That’s not Congress’ job.”
Opponents of Trump’s Republican nomination
One of the most direct rebukes came from one of Trump’s opponents for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
“With the news that Donald Trump has been impeached for a second time, our country is in a position that weakens our democracy. 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. This is a sad day for our country,” Hutchinson he said in a statement. “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.”
It was a reiteration of an earlier statement, tweeted nearly 24 hours before news of the indictment, where Hutchinson said Trump should “Step aside and put the good of the country above his candidacy.”
Trump’s main challenger for the 2024 nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, committed that his incoming administration would “bring accountability” to the Justice Department, questioning why probes against Trump moved faster than investigations into his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement poses a deadly threat to a free society,” DeSantis wrote. “For years we have seen unequal application of the law based on political affiliation.”
2024 GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy chose an entirely different tack: promising that, if elected, he would issue a pardon to Trump as one of his first residential acts.
“This is an affront to all citizens: we cannot become a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its political opponents. It is hypocritical for the DOJ to selectively prosecute Trump but not Biden,” he wrote Ramaswamy. “It would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump were not in the race, but I stand for principles above politics. I pledge to pardon Trump quickly on January 20, 2025 and restore the rule of law to our country”.
Republican deputies
Other Republican lawmakers who support Trump chimed in. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said Trump’s impeachment “is a moral and constitutional farce. Merrick Garland has disgraced this country,” adding that Biden is “using the justice system to preemptively steal the election of 2024” to his “most likely” opponent.
North Carolina Senator Ted Budd he tweeted it “In America, citizens are innocent until proven guilty. We must ensure that justice is administered without political bias, and the American people are rightly skeptical that the Biden administration will be able to- it”.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., screams the accusation “the epitome of the federal government’s illegal and unprecedented weaponization” against Trump, adding that voters will “vote like this country has never seen” and “elect President Trump back to the White House to save America.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., offered blanket condemnation.
“We should defund and dismantle the DOJ,” Biggs he wrote in a tweet. “I’m with President Trump.”
Democratic deputies
Across the aisle, Democrats like Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, suggested that no one is above the law.
“A week ago in Florida, a former US Air Force officer was sentenced to 3 years in federal prison for keeping classified documents in his home and other unauthorized locations. Presidents must also follow the law.”
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, he said that “This is a serious and solemn moment for our country and cannot be taken lightly”, adding that “no one is above the law, and all those who commit abuses must be held accountable for their actions. It is essential that this process takes place in the judicial system without political interference.”
Others were more succinct, like Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., (“LOCK HIM UP,” he tweeted,) or Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. (“Twice accused. Twice accused. Let justice prevail,” she wrote).
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., simply tweeted a photo of the Notorious BIG, with the words “And another!” superimposed on it.
