The federal impeachment of former President Donald Trump is poised to be a defining up-and-down issue on the ballot ahead of the 2024 election, especially if Trump is again the GOP nominee.
In light of the indictment, Republicans in competitive Long Island and Hudson Valley districts — districts that could determine which party controls the U.S. House in the next election — are raising concerns about what they call a system of two-level justice.
Representative Mike Lawler told Spectrum News 1 that “people understandably feel that the Department of Justice and the FBI have become extremely political.”
Rep. Marc Molinaro said he “shares” the frustrations of Americans who see “two sets of rules.”
Suffolk County Rep. Nick LaLota, in a tweet, accused the DOJ of “un-American political bias.” Lawmakers point to the fact that Hillary Clinton was never indicted for her handling of emails as an example of this.
The BJD claims it accused Trump of not returning classified documents.
Logically, the BJD would have accused Hillary of destroying thousands of classified emails to evade detection.
The fact that it has not demonstrated an un-American political bias in the BJD that needs to be rooted out. pic.twitter.com/RwFjzKeua1
— Nick LaLota 🗽💪🇺🇸🫡 (@nicklalota) June 10, 2023
A State Department review published in 2019 found no “Persuasive Evidence of Systemic and Deliberate Mishandling of Classified Information.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to his retention of classified materials, including charges that he obstructed the government’s efforts to retrieve them.
Republicans in competitive districts who spoke to Spectrum News 1 didn’t go out of their way to defend Trump on the charges.
“No one should ever have classified materials. Period. Whether you’re the secretary of state or the former president,” Lawler said.
“I believe you return the documents upon request,” Molinaro said.
Trump’s team was repeatedly asked to hand over the documents, according to the indictment.
Across the aisle, Democrat Pat Ryan, who represents his own competitive district in the Hudson Valley, has not shied away from criticizing the former Republican president. In a tweet, he wrote: “This is simple: As an Army Intelligence Officer, if I did what Trump has already admitted to, I would be in jail.”
This is simple: As an Army intelligence officer, if he did what Trump has already admitted to, he would be in prison.
Now is the time to uphold the rule of law, hold Trump accountable, and finally move past the chaos so we can come together as a nation.
— Pat Ryan 🇺🇸 (@PatRyanUC) June 9, 2023
If the impeachment charges hold up in court, should Trump be the GOP presidential nominee next year?
Asked this, Molinaro said, “the party will fix everything.” “People should make their voices heard,” he continued. “We have great candidates who deserve to be heard.”
Staten Island Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who has yet to make an endorsement in the 2024 primary contest, said, “Let’s see how it all plays out in court.” “Right now, I’m still supporting [Trump],” she said. “I feel for him because I think he’s getting a very unfair orientation that’s not appropriate in the United States of America.”
