Former President Trump accuses DOJ of targeting his supporters and attempts to turn legal peril into political advantage. In his first public appearances since the unsealing of his federal indictment, Trump condemned the charges as baseless and an attack on his supporters. Addressing Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump portrayed the 37 felony counts as a deliberate attempt to undermine his potential return to the White House for a second term.
Trump asserted, “They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try and stop our movement. To thwart the will of the American people,” in Georgia, emphasizing to the crowd, “In the end, they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you.”
Indictment details Trump’s defiance of Justice Department demands
Despite his mounting legal woes, including separate criminal charges filed against him in New York earlier this year. Trump remains the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination. His strategy of delegitimizing law enforcement officials and presenting himself and his supporters as victims. Which has been a recurring theme throughout investigations into his actions, even when facing serious allegations.
During an interview aboard his plane with Politico, Trump declared his determination to continue in the race, even if he is convicted. He stated, “I’ll never leave,” while confidently predicting that he wouldn’t be convicted. When asked about the possibility of pardoning himself if re-elected. Trump evaded the question, stating, “I don’t think I’ll ever have to. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Trump rallies supporters and portrays himself as a victim
The unsealed federal indictment accuses Trump of wilfully defying Justice Department demands to return classified documents. Enlisting aides to hide the records, and expressing his intention to defy a subpoena for materials stored at his residence. The indictment also alleges that Trump stored documents in various locations, including a ballroom and bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump’s first federal court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday in Miami, where he will be joined by his valet, Walt Nauta, a personal aide implicated in the charges. Prosecutors claim Nauta moved boxes from a storage room to Trump’s residence and subsequently misled investigators about these actions. Nauta accompanied Trump during his recent activities, standing alongside him at a Georgia Waffle House, where the former president interacted with supporters, signed autographs, and reassured them, “We did absolutely nothing wrong.”