Trump’s GOP primary rivals react to classified documents indictment
By Snejana Farberov
June 9, 2023 9:02am
Former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented federal indictment over the mishandling of classified documents was met with mixed reactions from his 2024 GOP presidential primary rivals — with some expressing tepid condemnation while others blasted the prosecution as a “mortal threat to a free society.”
The Justice Department was expected to make public a seven-count indictment charging the 76-year-old with willful retention of national defense information; conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding a document or record; corruptly concealing a document or record; concealing a document in a federal investigation; scheme to conceal; and false statements and representations.
Trump released a statement Thursday proclaiming his innocence and railing at “the corrupt Biden Administration” over what he called “the Boxes Hoax,” referring to the cache of classified documents that were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
Here’s how his political adversaries reacted to the news:
Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s chief opponent in the race for the GOP nomination, condemned his rival’s indictment, which marks the first time in US history that a former president has faced federal criminal charges.
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” DeSantis tweeted Thursday. “We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation. Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?”
Chris Christie
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former Trump ally-turned-critic, wrote on Twitter that he will wait until “the facts are revealed” to issue a full statement — but he did not miss an opportunity to take a dig at his opponent.
“We don’t get our news from Trump’s Truth Social account,” wrote Christie on Twitter. “Let’s see what the facts are when any possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were. We will have more to say when the facts are revealed.”
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https://nypost.com/2023/06/09/trumps-gop-primary-rivals-react-to-classified-documents-indictment/