WASHINGTON (TND) — Is there strong evidence against former President Donald Trump or is it the latest classified document fiasco increasing his chances for a second term in the White House?
Many Republicans, including Trump’s opponents in the 2024 presidential election, have suggested that indicting Trump for allegedly hoarding classified documents is an example of political persecution.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, along with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are running against Trump to win the Republican nomination. Even so, they have apparently defended their rival during the last few campaign stops.
Pence, who served as vice president under Trump, has asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to explain why his office – and appointed special counsel Jack Smith – brought the charges.
Stop hiding behind the special counsel and stand before the American people and explain why this indictment went forward,” Pence said Saturday.
DeSantis questioned why Trump would be targeted while Hilary Clinton did not face charges when she hid an illegal server in her home, deleted 30,000 emails and smashed her phone with a hammer, while she was secretary of state.
“Is there a different standard for a Democratic secretary of state than a former Republican president?” DeSantis said. “I think there needs to be a standard of justice in this country. Let’s get everyone involved and make sure we all know the rules.”
Trump faces 37 felony counts, as well as jail time, if convicted. A 49-page indictment was unsealed on Friday, alleging that Trump stored “hundreds of classified documents” in cardboard boxes at the White House, which he brought to his Florida estate after his 2017 term as president in 2021. Some of the boxes, according to the indictment, were stored in showers, bathrooms, a public ballroom and other locations throughout his Mar-A-Lago estate.
Trump has described the indictment as a witch hunt and “a travesty of justice.” The 76-year-old has maintained his innocence and continues to campaign for president.
Speaking at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump cast his Justice Department indictment as an attempt to damage his chances of returning to the White House as he campaigns for a second term.
They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try to stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people,” Trump alleged in Georgia, then told the crowd that “In the end, they’re not going to come after My. They’ll come after you.”
While some of his rivals agree, so do his supporters.
“This is election interference 101,” said Tom Fitton, who is the president of Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of criticism of the former president.
Former U.S. Attorney General Barr said Trump was “absolutely wrong” to keep the documents, and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican, said “Trump made these charges by not only taking classified documents, but by simply refusing to give them back when given numerous opportunities to do so,” Romney said in a statement. “These allegations are serious and, if proven, would be consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest, such as withholding defensive weapons from Ukraine for political reasons and failing to defend the Capitol from violent attacks and insurrections”.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow then suggested there could be a plea deal if Trump agrees to drop out of his 2024 run.
“Maddow championed the idea as a possible ‘political solution to this crime problem’ during MSNBC’s ‘The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,'” he said. Fox News.
Still, Trump’s polls have risen — and so has his fundraising — since news of the indictment broke. axes reported that a Trump official said the former president raised more than $4 million in the first 24 hours after the news broke and more than $1 million in the second 24 hours.
Amidst the drama, Trump is headed to Florida before his appearancewhich is scheduled for Tuesday in Miami.
Getting ready to go to Doral in Miami. We must all be STRONG and DEFEAT the communists, marxists and radical left lunatics who are systematically destroying our country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT BACK!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
