As we told you earlier this evening, Trump has apparently been indicted based on charges related to his storing documents at Mar-a-Lago. That article mainly focused on that fact: The indictment itself. This piece will focus on some major reactions. We’re not interested in some salivating rando who is popping the champaign because they don’t see any concerns in a free republic in the President’s leading challenger being indicted for behavior the President himself engaged in. We are frankly interested in responses that see the concerns raised by this situation or at least addresses them in an intelligent way.
For starters, we should probably focus on probably the most powerful republican in political office, Speaker McCarthy:
Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America.
It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades.
I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump…
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) June 9, 2023
The whole tweet reads:
Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America.
It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades.
I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.
Two things to note here. First, his ‘dark day’ language echoes the language used by Trump on TruthSocial, as we discussed when first reporting on the indictment. Second, it is worth noting that in one key aspect, what Biden did is harder to defend. This is because Trump might have declassified the documents when he was president, and Biden could not have, because he had kept these documents as a senator and vice president. Among all officials in the government, the president is uniquely empowered to declassify documents.
Still, as nice as that statement is, what exactly will he do about it? He just funded most of the 87,000 IRS agents, after all.
Next up we have Trump’s leading primary opponent: Ron DeSantis:
The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.
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?
The DeSantis…
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 9, 2023
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The full Tweet says:
The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.
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?
The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all.
This of course indicates that DeSantis will stay in the race. This is contrary to at least one person’s suggestion:
DeSantis should drop out and endorse Trump. Anything less is endorsing the weaponization of the DOJ against a political opponent. Hard truth. But deal with it. It’s us against them. Pick a side.
— Chris Barron 🇺🇸 (@ChrisRBarron) June 9, 2023
The essential problem with this it allows the prosecutors to manipulate this primary contest a different way. Trump shouldn’t be harmed by such a witchhunt, but he shouldn’t be helped by it, either. Otherwise, we would be vulnerable to a reverse psychology effect.
Or to quote Instapundit: ‘Does this mean the Democrats are afraid of him? Or that they want him to be the nominee and figure an indictment will cement his support?’
Charlie Kirk had a more measured suggestion:
Every "Republican" running for President should suspend their campaign and go to Miami as a show of support. If you don't, you are part of the problem. Either we have an opposition party or we don't. GO to Miami Tuesday, and show solidarty or we will mark you as part of the…
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 8, 2023
This elicited a counter-point:
Nope. This is ludicrous.
I didn’t see Trump showing up outside courthouses when J6 defendants were sentenced.
People are entitled to their own ambitions and political career paths.
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) June 9, 2023
And while we won’t focus on every presidential candidate, we thought Vivek Ramaswamy’s comment was interesting:
We can’t have two tiers of justice: one for Trump, another for Biden. One for Assange, another for Manning. One for BLM/Antifa, another for peaceful protesters on Jan 6.
I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 9, 2023
His full tweet:
We can’t have two tiers of justice: one for Trump, another for Biden. One for Assange, another for Manning. One for BLM/Antifa, another for peaceful protesters on Jan 6.
I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the middle of an election. Obama shamefully tried to deputize the FBI to infiltrate Trump’s 2016 campaign, but they’re leaving nothing to chance this time around: the federal police state is outright arresting Trump.
This is an affront to every citizen: we cannot devolve into a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its political opponents. It’s hypocritical for the DOJ to selectively prosecute Trump but not Biden.
We mostly like the cut of Ramaswamy’s jib. We think he is an excellent advocate for his positions. But we would be very, very shocked if he ends up being the nominee.
To turn to other reactions:
This isn’t even the last of the criminal indictments Trump will face
They’re going to try to bury him in prosecutions
They see no point in holding back now
Declaration of all out lawfare
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) June 9, 2023
Some unpleasantly blunt observations:
1.) The case against Trump on the legal merits is solid
2.) That the DOJ let both Biden/Pence slip for similar renders it politically nuclear
3.) Yes, Trump genuinely obstructed and that difference should matter.
4.) It doesn't matter.— Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* (@EsotericCD) June 9, 2023
We argued when reporting on the indictment, that the First Amendment concern rendered the indictment suspect, so we would dispute point #1. We think this is an excellent case to press the First Amendment concern in.
Objective analysis, which of course will get flamed because too many people cannot critically think.
This Southern District of FL indictment is problematic because it was handed down by a South Florida grand jury.
These people are Trump voters.
This is not far left DC.
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) June 9, 2023
Are they Trump voters, though? We are no great experts in Florida politics or geography, but a little googling shows that the Southern District of Florida includes Broward County and Miami-Dade County. Trump lost in Miami-Dade by eight points in 2020. And Biden clobbered Trump in Broward with nearly 2/3 of the vote.
Joe Biden has used his Justice Department to go after parents as “domestic terrorists,” to spy on Catholic parishes, to terrorize & harass prolife Christians – and tonight to indict his top political opponent, Trump. He has trampled the rule of law to benefit himself. He has led…
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 9, 2023
Full text:
Joe Biden has used his Justice Department to go after parents as ‘domestic terrorists,’ to spy on Catholic parishes, to terrorize & harass prolife Christians – and tonight to indict his top political opponent, Trump. He has trampled the rule of law to benefit himself. He has led the country into profound danger
Erick Erickson predicts that this will result in a huge dose of ‘their rules’—if and only if a Republican takes the White House in 2024.
I've given up trying to explain to the left why burning the world down to obtain justice is a bad idea. I'll just say if Biden loses in 2024, he, Hunter, and many others better have lawyers asap. The Rubicon has been crossed. Guilt won't matter. The pain of litigation will.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 9, 2023
Biden unleashed the Trump indictment on the same day that House Republicans were able to publicize evidence of his $5 million Ukraine bribery scandal
That’s not an accident
He is covering up his family’s corruption by maliciously prosecuting his 2024 opponent
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) June 8, 2023
They timed the Trump indictment the day PROOF that the Burisma scandal was true, broke.
This is the JFK assassination all over again – they are killing Trump by other means.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) June 8, 2023
And, of course, someone you might have heard of tweeted out this video from Mark Levin:
MUST WATCH: Mark Levin absolutely shreds Joe Biden, Merrick Garland and Jack Smith over the corrupt gestapo tactics that they're using to interfere in the 2024 election. pic.twitter.com/adOt9yO2Yw
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 9, 2023
On the same day that a story broke about a whistleblower alleging Joe Biden took a 5 million dollar bribe from Burisma in Ukraine, Biden's corrupt DOJ decides to indict Trump over BS charges.
Do you really think that's a coincidence?
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 9, 2023
Don't kid yourself, If Biden's corrupt DOJ is allowed to succeed in their attempt to interfere in the election, the Dems will run this playbook over and over and over again every time against every other Republican.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 9, 2023
Everyone who was sentient from 2017-2021 knows if the Trump DOJ had indicted Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, or Joe Biden for *any reason at all* — doesn't matter the details — it would have been wall-to-wall blaring that the country had disintegrated into apocalyptic Fascism
— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) June 9, 2023
They’re charging Trump with Hillary’s crimes because they don’t think they can beat him in 2024.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) June 9, 2023
.@Cernovich it’s called the “narrative assassination.” Physical assassination is too messy these days (not out of the question—just too messy). Killing someone by creating a completely false narrative is cleaner, easier and has a lasting effect on others contemplating getting in… https://t.co/YuHHR5J0UF
— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) June 9, 2023
Had a server in her bathroom.
Smashed devices with a hammer.
Deleted 33,000 subpoenaed emails.
Bleachbit server.
No Problem Trump is the criminal. pic.twitter.com/Ax5KAmkZ2A— Big Fish (@BigFish3000) June 8, 2023
They had to take Tucker off the air BEFORE they indicted Trump.
— Jeff Clark (@JeffClarkUS) June 9, 2023
Biden has indicted his top political rival for doing something that he has himself also done. Full on banana republic stuff. An absolute disgrace.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) June 9, 2023
Joe Biden entered office claiming he wanted to restore normalcy to the country & defend democracy. His department of justice has now indicted his chief political rival for the White House, something that has never happened in 240 years. The United States is officially a banana…
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 9, 2023
As if that weren’t enough, Biden’s crime family has engaged in far more egregious criminal wrongdoing than anything alleged against Trump. Indicting your chief political rival to try and put him in jail so he can’t beat you in a presidential election makes January 6th look like…
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 9, 2023
The cut off phrase reads: ‘makes January 6th look like jaywalking.’
Finally, if satire is a valid form of social commentary (and we think it is), The Babylon Bee might have the harshest observation:
Trump Indicted For Keeping Classified Documents In Mar-A-Lago Instead Of Somewhere Secure Like The Trunk Of A Corvette https://t.co/catzRni6GI
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) June 9, 2023
It’s savage and directly on target.
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