Lawmakers and 2024 rivals respond to Trump's indictment claims
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Former President Trump greets supporters at a June 1 event in Grimes, Iowa. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Lawmakers and 2024 rivals of former President Trump swiftly reacted to his claims Thursday evening that he's facing criminal charges over his handling of classified documents after he left office.
Driving the news: Members of both parties weighed in Thursday night, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who vowed to "hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable."
- The Justice Department declined to comment on Trump's claims that he's been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday.
What they're saying
Other Trump allies including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) also slammed the indictment on Thursday night.
- Jordan said it was a "sad day" for the country, while Stefanik called it "the epitome of the illegal and unprecedented weaponization of the federal government" against the former president. Gaetz echoed Trump, calling it a "phony Boxes Hoax indictment."
Of note: All three sit on the GOP-created panel designed to probe “weaponization” of federal agencies.
- Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley also cast doubt on federal law enforcement agencies in a tweet on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's running for president against Trump, tweeted that his administration "will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all" as he also claimed that law enforcement had been weaponized.
- Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said in a statement he would "commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country."
- Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R), a staunch Trump critic who's also running against 2024 Republican front-runner, in a statement said it's sad day for our country.
Separately, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the lead House impeachment manager during Trump's first impeachment for withholding aid to Ukraine, said in a tweet: "Trump’s apparent indictment on multiple charges arising from his retention of classified materials is another affirmation of the rule of law. For four years, he acted like he was above the law. But he should be treated like any other lawbreaker. And today, he has been."
Rep Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who was Democrats' lead impeachment manager during Trump's second impeachment proceedings, said in a statement: "Dangerous rhetoric about a 'two-tiered system of justice' — discriminating against the rich no less — in order to prop up the twice-impeached former president not only undermines the Department of Justice but betrays the essential principle of justice that no one is above the commands of law, not even a former President or a self-proclaimed billionaire."
