Former President Donald Trump on Saturday tore into the federal indictment accusing him of mishandling classified documents, accusing Democrats of a “political hit job” against him as he alleged a double standard in the administration of justice.
“They took one charge, and they made it 36 different times. And we have a thug who is in charge. This is a political hit job, Republicans are treated far differently at the Justice Department than Democrats,” he said in the speech at the Georgia Republican state convention.
The 2024 front-runner was indicted Friday on 37 federal counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.
TRUMP TO MAKE FIRST SPEECH SINCE FEDERAL INDICTMENT OVER CLASSIFIED DOCS
The remarks mark his first public remarks since the indictment. He will make another speech later Saturday to the North Carolina GOP state convention.
The indictment accuses Trump of failing to comply with demands to return classified documents — including plans for a retaliatory attack on an unnamed foreign power — he had gathered in Mar-a-Lago. Other documents include defense and weapon capabilities of the U.S. and details of the U.S. nuclear program.
“The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods,” the indictment says.
It also accuses him of storing the documents in a bathroom and other places at the residence, and of even bragging and showing off the documents to visitors. In one instance, he is said to have told individuals of a document, “as president, I could have declassified it,” and, “Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”
He is also said to have directed an aide to move boxes of documents demanded by a grand jury subpoena while claiming to have fully…
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