WASHINGTON โ A 37-count federal indictment, unsealed Friday, accused former President Donald Trump of lying to federal investigators as part of a scheme to keep classified documents in his possession, but numerous Texas Republicans continue to stand by him, dismissing the charges as a partisan ploy.
โToday is a very sad day in American history,โ Sen.ย Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on his podcast Friday. โWe have never in over two centuries of our nationโs history had a new president who launched the entire Department of Justice, the entire machinery of justice on a vendetta to persecute, to attack, to investigate, to indict, to try to throw in jail the former president who, it should be noted, is also currently the leading contender on the Republican side to run against the current president.โ
A federal grand jury in Florida indicted Trump on Thursday over his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, as well as efforts to hide them from federal agents.
Federal agents found troves of documents marked classified, including โinformation regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack,โ according to the indictment.
But several Texas Republicans quickly rallied to Trumpโs defense and echoed his claims of a partisan attack.
โWITCH HUNT!!! They KNOW they canโt beat Trump at the ballot box, so Biden has WEAPONIZED our entire federal government against him,โ tweeted U.S. Rep.ย Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, who previously served as Trumpโs White House doctor. โThis is a DARK DAY in American history, but weโll get the last laugh. Trump will be BACK in the White House!!โ
โThe Merrick Garland indictment ofย @realDonaldTrumpย is a blatant and disgraceful political hit job. As President, Trump could declassify anything he wanted,โ tweeted Rep.ย Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving. โBiden had documents all over the eastern seaboard before he was President.โ
U.S. Rep.ย Chip Roy, who has endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisโ presidential bid, also came to Trumpโs defense.
โThe rule of law & strength of our nation depend on the blind application of justice & rejection of the politicization of DOJ. From Mark Houck & Scott Smith to President Trump – even as the Biden family corruption has long been ignored – Congress must act to restore norms,โ Roy tweeted.
U.S. Rep.ย Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, bashed the investigation as perverse and threatened future funding for a new FBI headquarters โto stop forcing taxpayers to fund these nefarious actions.โ
Republican U.S. Reps.ย Keith Self,ย Pat Fallon,ย Lance Gooden,ย August Pfluger,ย Randy Weber,ย Troy Nehls,ย Roger Williams,ย Brian Babin,ย Michael Burgessย andย Wesley Huntย released similar statements.
U.S. Sen.ย John Cornyn, R-Texas,ย told NBC Newsย he didnโt want to comment on the case โuntil we know the facts.โ Cornyn has shied away from endorsing any Republican presidential candidate but has expressed doubt that Trump could win if he secured the nomination.
Trump immediately dismissed the indictment as โelection interferenceโ on his Truth Social platform โ an echo of his defense during the August search of his home. He accused President Joe Biden of siccing the Justice Department to sweep away a top Republican candidate in 2024.
U.S. Rep.ย Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, a former public defender, rejected the characterization, tweeting Biden โdidnโt INDICT ANYONE. The secret grand jury of his Florida peers indicted Trump! Whatโs unconscionable is pushing this propaganda or maybe defending a twice impeached multi indicted sexual abuser.โ
Other Texas Democrats insisted Trump be tried for alleged crimes like any other American. U.S. Rep.ย Al Green, D-Houston, said in a statement that Trump โdeserves his day in court, and the American people deserve justice.โ
โUnder our system of jurisprudence in which no one is above the law, a former president who is innocent until proven guilty can be investigated, indicted, tried, and, if it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, convicted of committing a crime,โ Green said.
U.S. Rep.ย Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, said Trump had numerous opportunities to turn over the classified documents, adding โno other citizen in our great land would have been allowed as many opportunities to do the right thing.โ
โWhen I was an impeachment manager, I argued that Trump incited an insurrection that gave our foreign enemies unprecedented exposure to the halls of Congress. Again and again, his crimes put our national security at risk,โ U.S. Rep.ย Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said in a tweet. โNobody โ not even a former President โ is above the law.โ
The indictment is Trumpโs second after a New York grand jury charged him over his role in allegedly paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an affair. He is also subject to another investigation in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
This article was written by MATTHEW CHOIย ANDย OLIVIA ALAFRIZ of The Texas Tribune. ย The Texas Tribuneโ and engages with them โ about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. ย This article originally appeared at: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/09/donald-trump-indicted-texas-republicans/