Republicans reacted furiously to the disturbing news that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department indicted former President Donald Trump on Thursday.
The 37-count indictment, which was unsealed Friday, reportedly included a charge under the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct, and false statements against the former president.
Prominent GOP voices were quick to call out the hypocrisy.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) declared the indictment of the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner is the result of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s weaponization of the Justice Department.
Cruz told Fox Business that Garland is the “most partisan attorney general in our nation’s history” and he has “corrupted the machinery of government.”
Trump’s principal rival for the 2024 GOP nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, blasted the charges as “more weaponization of federal law enforcement.” He asked why there is such ferocity in chasing Trump when the DOJ has been “so passive about Hillary and Hunter.”
SHAM: Chris Cuomo and Matt Taibbi SLAM the Trump indictment, call it reminiscent of a ‘third-world country’.
pic.twitter.com/EHhVegNWqA— @amuse (@amuse) June 9, 2023
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) reflected that “today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America.” He pledged that “House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”
Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter CEO Elon Musk noted that “there does seem to be far higher interest in pursuing Trump compared to other people in politics.” He said that it is critical that the justice system counter what by appearances is “differential enforcement” in order to maintain public trust.
Rival Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy observed that while his path to the White House would be clearer with Trump out of the picture, he must put “principles over politics.”
He then vowed, if elected president, to promptly pardon Trump “and to restore the rule of law in our country.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Fox News that the appearance is that Biden is attempting to clear his path toward a second term. “If the president in power can just jail his political opponents, which is what Joe Biden is trying to do tonight, we don’t have a republic anymore.”
Hawley added that the nation is in “dangerous, dangerous waters and it is because of Joe Biden.”
And Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) pointed towards the hardly coincidental timing of the unprecedented indictment. On the same day, Congress received specific information from an FBI document implicating Biden in a $5 million bribery scheme, this “phony indictment” was handed down.
