Ex-US President Trump has attacked the Justice Department over the charges resulting from the document scandal. He called the allegations “ridiculous and unfounded”. Trump also railed against incumbent Biden.
A day after the indictment in the US secret documents affair became known, former US President Donald Trump publicly attacked the Department of Justice. The lawsuit is a politically motivated campaign to prevent him from returning to the White House, he said at an event of his Republican party in the state of Georgia.
Incumbent President Joe Biden is “trying to jail his leading political competitor,” Trump said. The government is using the Justice Department “as a weapon” and the allegations are “ridiculous and unfounded”. Trump did not provide any evidence. It was his first public appearance after the 37 charges against him became public on Friday.
secret documents on the US nuclear program
According to the indictment, Trump is said to have illegally withheld confidential and top-secret documents on the US nuclear program and possible US weaknesses in the event of an attack when he left the White House in early 2021. Trump is also accused of obstruction of justice.
According to earlier statements, Trump is due to appear in court in Florida next Tuesday – one day before his 77th birthday. The Justice Department reiterated that all decisions regarding investigations should be impartial. President Biden has said he will not play a role in the Trump investigation.
Trump counts on increasing approval
Immediately after the charges were published, Trump launched a sharp attack on the Justice Department’s special counsel, Jack Smith, on his Truth Social platform. At the Georgia appearance, he said the charges against him would go down in US history as “one of the most horrific forms of abuse of power”. “This vicious persecution is a mockery of justice.”
The only good thing about it is that the process will boost his approval ratings within the Republican Party. This was indeed the case when Trump was already indicted in March in connection with a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. Trump pleaded not guilty in this case.