Topline
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) blasted former President Donald Trump’s criminal indictment Tuesday in one of the most scathing rebukes of the Department of Justice amid a wave of GOP criticism, threatening to block President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations until Attorney General Merrick Garland “stops using his agency to harass” Biden’s political opponents.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) at a rally hosted by former president Donald Trump last April.
Key Facts
In a video posted on Twitter minutes before Trump pleaded not guilty, Vance—a Trump-endorsed first-term senator—vowed to block “all the Department of Justice nominees” that Garland will use “clearly to harass his political opponents.”
Vance urged lawmakers to “grind this department to a halt,” claiming Trump’s indictment on 37 federal felony counts—which came from a grand jury in response to a special counsel investigation—is just one example of Garland utilizing the DOJ to advance an anti-Trump political agenda, and accusing the DOJ of being “not engaged in justice” but “engaged in politics.”
Vance’s comments echo growing criticism from Trump allies against the FBI and DOJ, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who labeled the indictment a “grave injustice” and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who called it “incredibly damaging”—though some other Republicans have broken with their colleagues.
Two of Trump’s 2024 GOP primary challengers—former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—condemned Trump’s actions, with Hutchinson labeling it a “willful disregard for the Constitution.”
News Peg
Trump pleaded not guilty in a federal District Court in Miami on Tuesday to all 37 felony counts against him, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act and charges he obstructed the Justice Department’s investigation. Trump, who has repeatedly argued the case against him lacks merit, calling the DOJ’s investigation a “witch hunt” and labeling DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith “deranged,” plans to speak Tuesday night at his residence in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Key Background
Trump was indicted by a grand jury Thursday following an ongoing probe into allegations he mishandled classified military documents after he left the Oval Office that prompted an FBI raid at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida last August. An indictment unsealed Friday revealed Trump stored boxes of documents throughout Mar-A-Lago, including in a ballroom, storage room and beside a toilet. Smith also alleged Trump instructed his aides to hide some documents from federal investigators, including some that contained top-secret national defense records. The indictment—Trump’s first at the federal level—came just over two months after the former president and 2024 GOP nominee was indicted in New York City on 34 felony counts over allegations he falsified business records related to alleged hush-money payments to three people ahead of the 2016 presidential election, including to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Further Reading
Trump Arrest: Trump Pleads Not Guilty To 37 Federal Charges In Classified Docs Case (Forbes)
Trump Indictment Unsealed: 37 Felony Counts Allege He Could Have Put National Security At Risk (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/06/13/sen-jd-vance-threatens-to-block-doj-nominees-over-trump-indictment/