Republicans rage at Trump indictment in documents probe
Republican accuses Biden of ‘treasonous corruption’ over Trump’s indictment as GOP rages at the two ‘standards of justice’ and say it is the ‘END of the republic’ if political opponents are ‘jailed at will’
- Trump loyalists in Congress blasted the move, and pointed to spat with FBI
- GOP lawmakers have been demanding FBI hand over file with Biden allegations
- House leader pointed to ‘credible allegations’ of corruption
Congressional Republicans unloaded on the Justice Department in the minutes after former President Donald Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents and said he would report to a Miami courthouse Tuesday.
Senior Republicans immediately connected the prosecution to charges House Republicans have leveled at Biden family members based on sealed FBI documents based on tips that have yet to be released or verified.
‘If the people in power can jail their political opponents at will, we don’t have a republic,’ tweeted Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), coming to the defense of Trump, who led supporters in chants of ‘lock her up’ during the 2016 campaign.
‘DOJ indicts former President / candidate Trump SAME DAY DOJ/FBI restricts access to unnecessarily redacted Biden allegations And they wonder why ppl think there r two standards for justice,’ fumed Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, a senior Judiciary Committee member, on Twitter.
Grassley has spent weeks joining Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, to press the FBI to hand over information containing allegations about Biden.
The fury came as a source told DailyMail.con Trump has been indicted on seven counts of federal charges related to possession of classified documents and obstruction of justice.
The chair of the House Republican Conference, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a former Trump critic who has become a leading Trump loyalist, blasted the FBI and accused Biden of weaponizing the DOJ. She, too, made reference to the internal the FD-1023 document that the FBI shared with lawmakers this week.
‘If the people in power can jail their political opponents at will, we don’t have a republic,’ tweeted Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). He voted to object to votes certified by Arizona and Pennsylvania on January 6, 2021
‘The exact same day that the FBI is forced to turn over to Congress absolutely damning and credible allegations regarding Joe Biden’s illegal, egregious, and treasonous corruption, Joe Biden weaponizes his Department of Justice to indict Donald Trump,’ she said in a statement.
‘The American people are smart and understand this is the epitome of the illegal and unprecedented weaponization of the federal government against Joe Biden’s leading opponent, President Donald J. Trump. The radical Far Left will stop at nothing to interfere with the 2024 election in order to prop up the catastrophic presidency and desperate campaign of Joe Biden.’
She said she was committed to cutting out ‘rot’ in federal agencies and holding feds accountable, and she echoed Trump’s own words, calling it an ‘illegal witch hunt against President Trump.
Trump loyalist Rep. Elise Stefanik referenced ‘credible allegations regarding Joe Biden’s illegal, egregious, and treasonous corruption’ and blasted the Trump indictment
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said there were ‘two standards of justice’
‘In 2024, we will vote like this country has never seen before and we will elect President Trump back to the White House to save America,’ she said.
The decision by Special Counsel Jack Smiths’ office to bring the first federal charges against a former president are certain to bring scrutiny, whichever way the case goes. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith after Trump announced his run for president in order to remove the investigation from his direct supervision.
House Republicans since they took over the chamber have already been crusading against ‘weaponization’ of agencies and alleged FBI malfeasance.
‘It’s a sad day for America. God bless President Trump,’ wrote Rep. Jim Jordan, the House Judiciary Chairman who heads a special ‘weaponization’ subcommittee and who has vowed to root out alleged bias within the FBI.
As usual, Trump was his own most forceful defender on Truth Social where he wrote that ‘The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is ‘secured’ by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.’
He referenced multiple locations where material marked ‘classified’ was found on properties linked to Biden.
That matter is being probed by a different special counsel. There are distinctions that may weigh heavily in the president’s favor. His team says it was been fully cooperating whenever government documents were found, and there has been no search warrant nor lengthy and contentious negotiations as was the case with Trump.
Trump, who is at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, called it ‘a DARK DAY for the United States of America.’
The feds days ago announced that it was closing a probe of former Vice President Mike Pence over documents discovered on his property.
‘We ought to defund and dismantle the DOJ. I stand with President Trump,’ wrote Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), one of several Republicans subpoenaed by the House January 6 Committee when Democrats were in control.
In addition to the possession of documents and obstruction charges, Trump was charged with willfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements and an obstruction of justice conspiracy, the New York Times reported.
Biden himself laughed off the corruption allegations when asked about it at a White House press conference Thursday.
‘Where’s the money?’ he said.
‘I’m joking. It’s a load of malarkey,’ he added.
Biden was also asked what he was doing to protect the independence of the Justice Department, after years of attacks by Trump when he was in and out of office.
‘You’d notice, I have never once – not one single time – suggested [to] the Justice Department what they should do or not do relative to bringing a charge or not bringing a charge,’ he said. ‘I’m honest.’
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