Those Republicans Blasted Trump For The Charge: Breaking GOP Ranks

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Following the news of former President Donald Trump’s indictment, many Republicans shared statements in support of the 2024 nominee, but not everyone has the support: some big names in the party have been more critical of Trump, recalling ( and reminding!) electorate, “No one is above the law” and calling for an end to his campaign.

Former President Donald Trump was indicted Thursday in a Justice Department investigation … [+] its handling of classified documents.

Andrew Harnik/AP Photo

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Asa Hutchinson: The Republican presidential candidate and former Alabama governor called the situation a “huge distraction” and called on Trump to end his campaign, saying in a statement“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.”

Chris Christie: Another Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey Governor Christie he tweeted last night he would have more to say when the indictment is released, but took a swipe at Trump, saying: “No one is above the law, no matter how much they want to be.”

Mitt Romney: The former Republican presidential candidate and Utah senator, who has long been critical of Trump, said in a statement that the Justice Department “did due diligence” and that Trump “took charge of these charges,” and if found guilty, those actions would be “consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest.”

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Some Republicans were more critical of the process than of Trump himself. Trump’s former vice president and presidential candidate Mike Pence said In a radio appearance Thursday, he said he was “deeply concerned” to see the indictment move forward and “hoped the DOJ would see much more clearly not to move forward here,” but Pence also said “no one is above the law”. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), widely considered Trump’s biggest opponent for the 2024 nomination,he tweeted For years there has been “uneven enforcement of the law depending on political affiliation,” questioning why the DOJ was “so zealous in going after Trump,” but not former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton or the President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.

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At least two of Trump’s fellow candidates have expressed support for him since news of the indictment broke. Vivek Ramaswamy, a long-shot candidate for the nomination, said he would pardon Trump if elected and echoed DeSantis’ concern that there are “two levels of justice,” not in relation to the rich and well-connected that they have access to better representation than the poor and indigent do, but on this Trump is held to a different standard than Biden, Politico reported. Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, called the accusation a “distraction.” Twitteradding, “The American people are exhausted by prosecutorial overreach, double standards and vendetta politics.”

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On Thursday night, Trump was formally indicted on seven criminal charges, including conspiracy and withholding documents, making him the first former president in US history to face federal charges. Trump confirmed to Truth Social that he will appear in court in Miami on Tuesday, calling the allegations against him a “hoax” and a “war on the law” designed to damage his political prospects. The indictment stems from an investigation into classified documents that were brought to Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate after his presidential term. Shortly after the impeachment, CNN reported that Trump admitted on tape that he kept a “highly confidential” military document that he did not have the authority to declassify after leaving office. Trump was also indicted in New York State Supreme Court in March on 34 counts of falsifying business records.