Trump delivers first speech since indictment, attacks DOJ’s ‘corrupt double standards’ – Reuters

On Saturday afternoon, former President Donald Trump gave his first speech since announcing on Truth Social that he had been indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified White House documents. The indictment, which was unsealed Friday, contains 37 counts, including willful withholding of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding of documents, concealment of documents by corruption, concealment of documents in a Federal investigation, conspiracy cover-up. and make false statements.

Trump, accompanied by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), spoke at the Georgia Republican Party Convention. He was fired, predictably, calling the indictment “election interference” and “a political stunt”. Calling the indictment “ridiculous” and “baseless”, Trump said:

The ridiculous and baseless indictment of the Biden administration’s Armed Injustice Department will go down as one of the most horrific abuses of power in our nation’s history.

[..]

They have launched one witch hunt after another to try to stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people. … In the end, they don’t come after me, they come after you.

Many legal experts intervened after reading the indictment, including Jonathan Turley, Andrew McCarthy, Alan DershowitzAnd Mike Davis. Although there were differences of opinion as to whether or not the Espionage Act applied and the role of declassification, legal experts on the conservative side of the aisle all agreed that they believed that the accusation was politically motivated.

“Republicans are treated very differently in the Justice Department than Democrats,” Trump said, perhaps the understatement of the decade, given the multiple relentless attacks he’s faced from everyone. the world, from Nancy Pelosi to James Comey to Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice.

At this point, Trump told the rally:

“Every time I fly over a blue state, I get a subpoena. The only good thing about it is that it boosted my poll count. Can you believe it?

“This cruel persecution is a travesty of justice. You are watching Joe Biden [try] imprison his main political adversary – an adversary who beats him by far in the polls – as one does in Stalinist Russia or Communist China. No different.

“Our country has gone horribly wrong… Think about it – in three years.

“Together we will stand up to globalists, Marxists” as well as “communists”, environmental extremists, open border fanatics, the radical left, prosecutors and fake media.

“Our country is in tears because of what is happening. We have fake elections, we have no borders, we have inflation, we have – everything is bad.

“We now have two standards of justice in our country. The democratic communists who imprison their opponents as they protect the murderers who roam our cities day and night, and other brazen criminals.

“To thunderous applause, Trump added, ‘No criminal is more protected than twisted Joe Biden.

Watch Trump’s full remarks below.

The essential

There is no bottom line yet. Not one that matters, anyway.

While Trump’s case plays out the way it goes — Regardless of opinions, considered or not from outside a Miami courtroom, the House GOP’s various investigations into Joe Biden and the Biden family business will also unfold.

With 17 months to go until the 2024 presidential election, if we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that almost anything can happen.