The federal indictment of former President Donald Trump is poised to be a defining issue up and down the ballot ahead of the 2024 election, especially if Trump is again the GOP nominee.
In light of the indictment, Republicans in competitive districts on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley – districts that could determine which party controls the U.S. House in the next election – are raising concerns about what they label a two-tiered justice system.
Rep. Mike Lawler told Spectrum News 1 that “people feel, understandably, that the Department of Justice and the FBI have become extremely political.”
Rep. Marc Molinaro said he “shares” the frustrations of Americans who see “two sets of standards.”
Suffolk County Rep. Nick LaLota, in a tweet, accused the DOJ of an “un-American political bias.” The lawmakers point to Hillary Clinton never being charged over her handling of emails as an example of this.
The BJD claims it indicted Trump for not returning classified docs.
— Nick LaLota 🗽💪🇺🇸🫡 (@nicklalota) June 10, 2023
Logically, the BJD would have indicted Hillary who destroyed 1000’s of classified emails to evade detection.
The fact it hasn’t demonstrates an un-American political bias in the BJD that must be uprooted. pic.twitter.com/RwFjzKeua1
A State Department review released in 2019 found no “persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 counts connected to his retention of classified materials, including accusations of obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.
Republicans from the competitive districts who spoke with Spectrum News 1 did not go out of their way to defend Trump on the charges themselves.
“Nobody should ever have classified materials. Period. Whether you’re the secretary of state or you’re the former president,” Lawler said.
“I think that you return the documents upon request,” Molinaro said.
Trump’s team was repeatedly asked to hand over the documents, according to the indictment.
Across the aisle, Democrat Pat Ryan, who represents his own competitive district in the Hudson Valley, has not shied away from criticizing the former Republican president. In a tweet, he wrote, “This is straightforward: As an Army intelligence officer, if I did what Trump has already admitted to, I’d be in jail.”
This is straightforward: As an Army intelligence officer, if I did what Trump has already admitted to, I’d be in jail.
— Pat Ryan 🇺🇸 (@PatRyanUC) June 9, 2023
Now it’s time to uphold the rule of law, hold Trump accountable, and finally move past the chaos so we can come together as a nation.
If the allegations in the indictment are held up in court, should Trump be the GOP presidential nominee next year?
Asked this, Molinaro said, “the party will sort it all out.” “The people should have their voice heard,” he continued. “We’ve got great candidates who all deserve to be heard.”
Staten Island Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who has not yet made an endorsement in the 2024 primary contest, said, “Let’s see how everything plays out in court.” “Right now, I still support [Trump],” she said. “I feel for him because I think he's getting a very unfair targeting that is not appropriate within the United States of America.”