After learning that the former president was a target of the Justice Department’s January 6 investigation, several Republican senators defended him.
Trump stated that he will have to appear before the grand jury in four days and that if he does, “deranged” Special Counsel Jack Smith is going to indict him.
“Nothing such as this has ever occurred in our country, not even close…THIS WITCH HUNT IS COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY A POLITICAL WEAPONIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ELECTION INTERFERENCE! For our country, it is a terribly sad and depressing time.” Trump stated on Truth Social.
Trump’s statement quickly became known across Congress.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) described the story as “absolute bullshit. The Democrats can only defeat President Trump in that manner, in my opinion.”
Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the GOP House Conference, responded to the information by labeling the prospective indictment “unprecedented” as well as a “corrupt witch hunt.”
She said that “Joe Biden’s Dept. of Justice continues to target his top political rivals for the White House.”
“If President Trump is going to receive an indictment for his speeches prior to January 6th, so then when is Senator @BernieSanders supposed to be indicted for his remarks which led to the attempted murder of Steve Scalise along with other Republicans?” Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) tweeted.
“Jack Smith, Biden’s attack dog, is back at it,” said Representative Wesley Hunt (R-TX). “Which specific tweets are confusing? We have never witnessed the weaponization of the federal government to influence elections like this in American history.”
“President Trump is going to be the nominee,” he continued.
In response to the announcement, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) criticized the DOJ.
“President Trump’s lead in the polls just became bigger.” Then, he questioned, “What does the government of Joe Biden do next? Use government power as a weapon to take down President Biden’s top rival. This is not a just system. The American people is sick of it, and it’s wrong.”
“SUPPORT TRUMP!! STAND WITH TRUMP!!” Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX) sent in a tweet. “Democrats have armed the FBI once more in an effort to overthrow Trump since they KNOW they cannot defeat him in 2024. When Trump returns to the White House, these folks will be very sorry for what they did.”
The focus of Smith’s investigation into January 6 is on Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Smith has already accused Trump of crimes with purportedly confidential information.
“It’s absolute bullshit.”
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) reacts to Trump claiming he is a target in the DoJ’s January 6th investigation. pic.twitter.com/lPv6XIKKAx
— The Recount (@therecount) July 18, 2023
Fundraising for 2024 was boosted by the indictment. With $22.52 million in cash on hand so far in the election cycle, Trump’s campaign is ahead of all other 2024 presidential aspirants.
