House GOP leaders stand by former President Donald Trump in the face of Jan. 6 charges.

House Republicans Defend Trump Against Capitol Riot ‌Charges

Just minutes after​ a federal grand jury indicted​ Donald Trump on ⁢a slew of charges related to his actions ​during the ⁣Jan. 6 Capitol riot, top House Republicans jumped to the former president’s defense to decry the allegations ⁤as⁣ a political distraction ahead ⁣of a crucial election cycle.

Accusations of Political Weaponization

House ⁣GOP Conference Chairwoman⁣ Elise ​Stefanik ‍released a statement shortly after the charges were​ unsealed⁤ on Tuesday evening, accusing the Department of Justice of being weaponized against⁢ Trump in order to boost ‌President Joe Biden’s reelection.

“President Trump had ⁢every right under‍ the⁣ First Amendment to correctly raise concerns about election integrity ⁢in 2020,” Stefanik said in a⁣ statement. “Despite the DOJ’s illegal⁣ attempt to ⁢interfere in the 2024 election on behalf of Joe Biden, President Trump continues to skyrocket in the ⁣polls and will⁣ defeat Joe Biden​ and be sworn in as President of​ the United States in January 2025.”

Criticism of Timing and Distraction

Stefanik criticized the ​timing of the⁢ indictment, which came just one day after⁤ Congress heard testimony from a longtime business associate of Hunter Biden, whom lawmakers have been investigating ‌over ⁢the last⁣ several months over allegations of international peddling schemes. The Republican leader accused the ‍DOJ of using the indictment to distract from Devon Archer’s testimony, which Stefanik says is evidence ​of “one of the⁣ greatest political corruption⁤ scandals in history.”

“Congress heard‌ testimony from Hunter Biden’s longtime business⁢ partner that ⁣Joe Biden joined Hunter’s business ⁣calls over 20 times,” she said. “This directly⁢ contradicts Biden’s lie that he never ‌discussed ⁤business with his son. Today’s sham indictment of ⁣Donald Trump is yet another desperate attempt to distract attention away from the mounting evidence of Joe Biden’s direct involvement ​in his family’s illegal influence peddling scheme.”

Chiming ⁤In Against Distraction

Other Republicans were⁢ quick to chime in, echoing similar sentiments — ‌arguing the ⁢charges ⁤were merely being used to distract from President Biden’s own troubles.

“It’s⁢ no surprise at all that following Devon⁣ Archer’s damning testimony yesterday, the DOJ drops more charges against President Trump,” said Rep. Mike ⁤Johnson, vice chairman of the House GOP conference. “Their efforts at distraction ⁣can never change the real problem: President Biden is in serious trouble.”

Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) was also among the‍ first ⁤Republicans to react to the news of ‌indictment,⁤ claiming Trump​ “did ⁣nothing wrong!”

“When you⁢ drain The Swamp,⁢ The Swamp fights back,” he said in a statement.

Trump was indicted by a grand jury on four separate federal charges: one count ⁣of conspiracy to defraud ⁤the United States; one count of conspiracy to‌ obstruct an official proceeding; one count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and one count of conspiracy against rights.

Trump has ⁤long maintained innocence in all investigations​ related to the ‌Jan. 6 riot, accusing the Biden administration of unfairly targeting him because of⁤ his frontrunner status in the GOP presidential primary. ‍The former ​president released⁤ a statement shortly before⁤ his indictment was unsealed, denouncing the charges⁢ as “prosecutorial⁣ misconduct.”

“Why‌ didn’t they do this 2.5 years ago? Why​ did they wait so long?” he wrote in a Truth Social post. “Because they wanted to put‌ it right in the middle of my campaign.”

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