Former President Donald Trump on Saturday ripped apart the federal indictment accusing him of mishandling classified documents, accusing Democrats of a “political job” against him as he alleged a double standard in the administration of justice .
“They took office, and they did it 36 different times. And we have a bully who’s in charge. This is a political success job, Republicans are treated very differently at the Justice Department than Democrats,” he said. said in a speech at the Georgia Republican state convention.
The 2024 front-runner was indicted on Friday on 37 federal charges, including willful withholding of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
TRUMP TO MAKE FIRST SPEECH SINCE FEDERAL INDICTMENT ON CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Georgia Republican Convention, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Columbus, Georgia. ((AP Photo/John Bazemore))
The statements mark his first public statements since the indictment. He will make another speech later Saturday at the North Carolina GOP state convention.
The indictment accuses Trump of failing to comply with demands to return classified documents, including plans for a retaliatory strike against an unnamed foreign power, which he had gathered at Mar-a-Lago. Other documents include US defense and weaponry capabilities and details of the US nuclear program.
“Unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could jeopardize the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the security of the United States military and human resources, and the continued viability of intelligence gathering methods. sensitive intelligence,” says the indictment.
He also accuses her of storing the documents in a bathroom and other places in the residence, and even showing off and showing the documents to visitors. In one instance, he is said to have privately told a document, “as president, I could have declassified it” and, “I can’t now, you know, but that’s still a secret.”
He is also said to have ordered an aide to move boxes of documents demanded by a grand jury subpoena while claiming to have fully cooperated. The FBI opened a criminal investigation into the matter in March 2022.
Trump, allies and even other 2024 presidential contenders have dismissed the charges as politically motivated and contrasted it with what they believe is a lighter treatment of the most serious crimes by Democrats.
“The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration’s armed Justice Department will go down as one of the most horrific abuses of power in our country’s history,” Trump said. “This brutal persecution is a travesty of justice.”
TRUMP DEEP INTO 37 FEDERAL ACCOUNTS FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S INVESTIGATION INTO CLASSIFIED RECORDS
He also took direct aim at President Biden, accusing him of “trying to imprison his main political opponent and opponent who is beating him in the polls, just like they do in Stalinist Russia or Communist China.”
Biden claimed he had no involvement in the Justice Department’s investigation into the Trump documents while answering questions at the White House on Thursday, ahead of Trump’s impeachment.
“I have never once, not once, suggested to the Department of Justice what they should do or not do in terms of charging or not charging,” Biden said. “I’m honest.”
The indictment adds additional legal turmoil to Trump’s re-election bid, after he was indicted in New York in an alleged hush money scheme earlier this year. He will make his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday.
Other campaigning Republicans, including those who have been extremely critical of the former president, have largely refrained from attacking him over the indictment so far and have shared the sentiment that the prosecution is politically motivated.
EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP SAYS INDICTMENT IS ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL’
“Federal gun law enforcement poses a deadly threat to a free society. For years we have seen unequal law enforcement based on political affiliation,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said when news of the indictment emerged.
On Saturday, Trump sought to present the upcoming presidential contest as a choice not just between Democrats and Republicans, but between the “deep state” and democracy.
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“Either we have a deep state or we have a democracy. We will have one or the other. And we are right at the tipping point,” he said.
“And they win or we win. It’s very simple. Either they win or we win,” he said.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Adam Shaw is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.
