Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) has accused the Department of Justice of setting a trap to imprison supporters of former President Trump, who has called for protests in response to his most recent indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
Trump arrived in Florida on Monday, prior to his arraignment in Miami on Tuesday, where tens of thousands of demonstrators are anticipated.
Donald Trump Indictment
Higgins portrayed the case as a threat to the United States, but he implored fellow Trump supporters not to "fall for the bait" by drawing a parallel to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which resulted in hundreds of federal prosecutions.
Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, was indicted last week on 37 counts related to the alleged mismanagement of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Per The Hill, he is scheduled to be arraigned in Florida on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
During a press conference on Monday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) stated that the city is prepared to manage any protests or demonstrations that may occur, but that there may be "disruption" to traffic patterns due to the former president's high-profile appearance.
The latest development in the former president's legal troubles has fueled Republican claims that President Biden and Democrats have weaponized the federal government, a sentiment echoed by Higgins in his statement on Sunday. On the eve of former President Trump's federal indictment, a new CBS poll indicates that he remains the overwhelming favorite among Republicans in the expanding 2024 field.
After becoming the first former president in US history to face criminal charges from the federal government he once oversaw, Republican legislators are devising creative defenses for Donald Trump. Trump is accused of violating a section of the Espionage Act, making fraudulent statements, and engaging in a conspiracy to obstruct justice after he refused to give over classified national security information.
According to the explosive indictment, Trump kept cartons of classified documents in a lavatory at his opulent Florida estate and displayed some of them to visitors. Even one of Trump's rivals for the 2024 GOP nomination, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, said her former employer was "extremely irresponsible with our national security," according to MSN.
Other Republicans Blame Trump
Trump, despite being served with a federal subpoena, allegedly attempted to prevent the return of classified material belonging to the U.S. government, whereas Biden returned the relevant documents.
The allegations against Trump are strikingly distinct from the prospective charges being considered against Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and former Vice President Mike Pence. Biden and Pence promptly notified the government after discovering documents in their possession.
They both cooperated with investigators and permitted extensive inspections of their respective properties. Trump was captured on tape confessing that he possessed classified documents and displayed them to unauthorized individuals.
"I have a large stack of documents, and this issue just arose. Look ... This absolutely makes my case, as you know. Except that it is extremely private. Secret. According to CNN, Trump acknowledged in a 2021 meeting that this is classified information.
The majority of Republican legislators avoided discussing the specifics of Trump's indictment, electing instead to complain that Clinton had not been charged while Trump had. Monday, however, a few Republican senators expressed concern over the charges.
Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, described the indictment as "very serious." Meanwhile, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) stated that Trump's legal troubles could have been avoided if he had simply turned over the requested classified documents.
Related Article : Trump Set To Face Charges in Florida, Busloads of Supporters Are Coming Ahead of Arraignment
