‘Not Fair and Perhaps, Not Legal’: Trump Rages About DOJ Waiting ‘2.5 Years’ to Charge Him For Trying to Overturn Election
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Former president Donald Trump raged against the various legal proceedings against him on Friday, wondering aloud why he hadn’t been charged in cases related to falsification of business records, mishandling of classified documents, and an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election earlier — and questioning the legality of charging him now.
“Every one of these many Fake Charges filed against me by the Corrupt Biden DOJ could have been filed 2.5 years ago, but they waited and waited until I became dominant in the Polls, and then they filed them all, including locals, right in the middle of my Campaign,” complained Trump on Truth Social.
“They want anybody but ‘TRUMP.’ Not fair and perhaps, not legal. ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!” he continued, openly speculating whether it should even be possible to pursue criminal charges against himself at this time.
Trump is the prohibitive favorite to reclaim his place atop the Republican ticket as he has been since leaving office in January 2021.
Earlier this week, Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump on four counts related to his behavior in aftermath of the 2020 election. He was arraigned at a Washington, D.C. courthouse on those charges Thursday. He also faces another set of federal charges leveled by Smith and was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan in March.
Although Trump expressed fears that his legal troubles may negatively impact his political prospects, it was the first indictment of Trump that precipitated his rise in the polls.
On the day Trump was indicted in New York, he boasted a lead of just under 16 points over his nearest challenger, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in the RealClearPolitics average of national Republican primary polls. A week later, his lead had ballooned to over 26 points.
“This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot,” argued Trump after his arraignment on Thursday. “So if you can’t beat ’em, you persecute ’em or you prosecute ’em. We can’t let this happen in America.”
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