Trump Indictment: McCarthy, DeSantis, Musk Blast DOJ Charges As Some Democrats Applaud - Forbes

Topline

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in a Department of Justice investigation into his handling of classified documents, several news outlets reported Thursday, prompting swift denunciations from both Republican allies and rivals—and billionaire Elon Musk—along with supportive but often-muted reactions from some Democrats.

Key Facts

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called the indictment “unconscionable” and said he “stand[s] with President Trump against this grave injustice” in a tweet—though the charges against Trump and the evidence cited by the DOJ remain unclear.

Several other GOP lawmakers such as Sens. Marco Rubio (Fl.), Josh Hawley (Mo.) and J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fl.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) protested the legitimacy of the indictment, with Gaetz labeling it as a “hoax” while Jordan called it a “sad day for America.”

Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. called the DOJ “corrupt.”

Musk—the CEO of Tesla, owner of Twitter and wealthiest person on Earth—commented on the indictment, saying there seemed to be “far higher interest in pursuing Trump compared to other people in politics.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—Trump's top challenger in the 2024 GOP presidential primary—claimed there has been an "uneven application of the law" and suggested officials are overly "zealous in pursuing Trump."

Vivek Ramaswamy—an entrepreneur and candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination—condemned the charges in a tweet, calling them an “affront to every citizen” and promising to pardon Trump if he wins.

Fellow 2024 candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson took a different tack: He called on Trump to drop out of the presidential race, calling the charges a “major distraction” and criticizing Trump’s “disrespect for the rule of law,” though the frequent Trump critic added the former president is “entitled to the presumption of innocence.”

Some other Republican presidential candidates such as former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley did not immediately publish statements about the indictment.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk called for the Republicans running for president to suspend their campaigns and go to Miami in support of Trump—adding that failing to do so would mark the candidates “as part of the opposition.”

Chief Critic

Trump called himself innocent in a Truth Social video, and accused the DOJ of leading a politically motivated prosecution and engaging in “warfare.”

Contra

The top Democratic Senate and House leaders have not reacted to the indictment on Twitter, but some Trump critics have applauded the charges. In a tweet, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) called Trump a “former white supremacist-in-chief,” noting that the indictment was Trump’s second following charges in New York and that he “must be held accountable.” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said the indictment proved nobody is above the law and that law enforcement and the judicial branch should be allowed to do their jobs “without political interference,” while Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) called the charges an “affirmation of the rule of law.”

Key Background

Trump was charged with seven criminal counts including conspiracy and retention of documents, according to several news outlets, making him the first former president in U.S. history to face federal charges. Trump confirmed on Truth Social that he was informed about the indictment and will appear in court in Miami on Tuesday. The indictment is linked to a probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents that were brought to his Mar-a-Lago property after his presidential term ended. Trump, who is running for president in 2024, was also indicted in New York state court in March on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.