{"id":578738,"date":"2023-06-15T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/trump-indictment-puts-gop-supporters-in-awkward-spot\/"},"modified":"2023-06-15T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T10:00:00","slug":"trump-indictment-puts-gop-supporters-in-awkward-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/trump-indictment-puts-gop-supporters-in-awkward-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"#Trump indictment puts GOP supporters in awkward spot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/trumpdonald_061423getty_trump.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The 37-count federal indictment against former President Trump is putting the Republican senators who endorsed him in an awkward position.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They are sticking with the president, who is enormously popular with much of the GOP base, \u00a0despite the allegations that Trump mishandled classified information and conspired to obstruct justice.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>But there are signs of anxiety even among his most staunch supporters, who are focusing their fire on the Justice Department \u2014 a strategy that allows them to avoid a more direct defense of Trump\u2019s specific actions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s awkward to have endorsed Trump and have to basically play lawyer and make a legal defense of Trump when they just don\u2019t want to be talking about that,\u201d said Brian Darling, a GOP strategist and former Senate aide.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want to be talking about policy but now these members who have endorsed Trump are shifted into playing lawyer and defending Trump,\u201d he added. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump\u2019s closest Senate allies, acknowledged to reporters that he was disturbed by the allegations that Trump mishandled top secret documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t like it. I don\u2019t like mishandling classified information by anybody,\u201d Graham told reporters Tuesday. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But Graham, who\u2019s endorsed Trump\u2019s White House bid, then pointed to Hillary Clinton and the former secretary of State\u2019s email server. He also directed the discussion to President Biden, who turned over classified documents found in his garage from his service as vice president.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>There are significant differences between Biden, who cooperated fully with authorities after classified documents were discovered by his team, and Trump, who as the indictment unsealed Friday suggests actively tried to thwart authorities from retaking classified documents in his possession.<\/p>\n<p>But Biden and Clinton remain useful tools for Graham.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow should the legal system treat President Trump in light of what\u2019s h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened in the past and my view is that to charge him after similar behavior going uncharged would be bad for the country,\u201d Graham said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>At the same time, he acknowledged Trump could have spared himself trouble by simply giving back the classified documents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost politicians get in trouble by self-inflicted wounds, yeah,\u201d Graham said when asked if Trump should have simply given back the documents when the National Archives and Records Administration and then the FBI asked for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Still, Graham is sticking with his endorsement.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I intend to support President Trump. I don\u2019t think this trial goes to trial before the election,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who had been previously reported as leaning toward endorsing Trump, this week clarified that the endorses Trump\u2019s policies but not his presidential campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Braun told The Hill he\u2019s \u201cendorsing the policies\u201d of Trump but clarified \u201cI\u2019ve not endorsed anyone officially.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI think he\u2019s the only one that\u2019s got a record that would be projectable into the future,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Asked if he was disturbed about the allegations of Trump\u2019s handing of classified information, Braun replied, \u201cI don\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly comment on the ebb and flow \u2026 I\u2019m more of a long-term thinker in general.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who has endorsed Trump\u2019s presidential campaign, declined to comment on the specific allegations of the indictment, which he criticized as part of \u201ca very partisan, in my view, prosecution.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very discouraged to see the DOJ weaponized in this fashion,\u201d he said, referring to the Department of Justice. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hagerty waved aside a question about whether he would withdraw his endorsement if Trump is convicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d be shocked if he were convicted of anything. What we\u2019re seeing right now is just a one-sided slice of the complaint. I\u2019ve made no plans of that nature at all because I don\u2019t expect to see any type of conviction,\u201d he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), another senator who has endorsed Trump, argued that the former president should have broad power to decide what records to keep from his own administration, regardless of how they are classified.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel very strongly that this is a turf war between the permanent bureaucracy and the elected president and the tie has to go to the elected president every single time. I think the principle at stake here is when the government produces documents \u2014 who owns it? \u2014 and I think that\u2019s the elected president and not the bureaucracy,\u201d Vance said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He has placed a hold on all of Biden\u2019s nominees to the Department of Justice \u2014 except for nominees to the U.S. Marshals Service \u2014 to protest Trump\u2019s prosecution.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Vance said he will keep his hold in place until Attorney General Merrick Garland \u201cmakes a substantial change in policy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Other Senate Republicans who have endorsed Trump include Sens. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Ted Budd (N.C.), National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (Mont.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Markwayne Mullin (Okla.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.). \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s strongest supporters in the Senate have had to weather the sharp criticisms that fellow Republican senators have leveled at the former president.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said many of his constituents at home believe the Department of Justice is focused unfairly on Trump by not also bringing charges against prominent Democrats accused of mishandling classified information. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGoing back years, Hillary Clinton has 30,000 emails that got erased. Why is it that none of that ever comes up and why weren\u2019t there any indictments on those issues?\u201d he said, summarizing the concerns of many GOP voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But he noted that doesn\u2019t change the view of many Republicans that what Trump did was \u201cwrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom my perspective and a lot of people that are concerned about classified information, what he did was wrong and he should not have had that material and that material should have been in a safe environment,\u201d Rounds said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has raised alarms about the threat Trump\u2019s actions have posed to national security. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe charges in this case are quite serious and cannot be casually dismissed,\u201d she said last week, warning that mishandling classified documents may expose national secrets and the sensitive sources and methods used to gather intelligence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) declined to comment about the discomfort that some of his Senate GOP colleagues may feel about having to defend Trump from a federal indictment but said \u201cmy own view is the conduct carried out by former President Trump was outrageous and dangerous to the national security.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At least one staunch Trump ally, Tuberville, doesn\u2019t seem at all rattled by the legal storm swirling around Trump. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed up to Trump\u2019s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., the same day Trump got arraigned in Miami where Tuberville attended a rally and then had dinner with the president. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tuberville said he and Trump talked about the merger of the PGA Tour with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe talked golf. We talked the PGA and LIV GOLF,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course he owns a lot of golf courses.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/4050724-trump-indictment-puts-gop-supporters-in-awkward-spot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 37-count federal indictment against former President Trump is putting the Republican senators who endorsed him in an awkward position.\u00a0 They are sticking with the president, who is enormously popular with much of the GOP base, \u00a0despite the allegations that Trump mishandled classified information and conspired to obstruct justice. But there are signs of anxiety&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":578739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/trumpdonald_061423getty_trump.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134747,134343,4941,20101,72944,991,70514,71671,135665,134354,134438,134345,4965],"class_list":["post-578738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-arts-culture","tag-campaign","tag-donald-trump","tag-fbi","tag-hillary-clinton","tag-joe-biden","tag-justice-department","tag-lindsey-graham","tag-mike-braun","tag-nexstar-media-wire-news","tag-prevention-cures","tag-state-watch","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}