Former President Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 37 federal felony counts related to allegations of improper retention of classified records at Mar-a-Lago, and slammed the indictment as a blatant act of “election interference” orchestrated by the Biden administration, describing it as the most egregious abuse of power in the history of the United States.
FLASHBACK: Mishandling classified documents is no big deal when Hillary Clinton does it pic.twitter.com/UIAdkBSyyu
— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) June 13, 2023
During a speech from his property at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, Trump criticized Special Counsel Jack Smith as a “deranged lunatic” and accused President Biden of having his top political opponent arrested and charged.
He characterized the situation as political persecution reminiscent of tactics used in fascist or communist regimes.
Trump: "Threatening me with 400 years in prison for possessing my own presidential papers which just about every other President has done is one of the most outrageous and vicious legal theories ever put forward in an American court of law." pic.twitter.com/0kblQNULsE
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 14, 2023
Trump said President Biden will “forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country, but perhaps more importantly, the president, together with the band of his closest thugs, misfits and Marxists trying to destroy American democracy, channeling real anger and charging the President of the United States under the Espionage Act of 1917.”
The former president defended himself by emphasizing that the Presidential Records Act, not the Espionage Act, is applicable in his case. “The Espionage Act has been used to refer to traitors and spies,” Trump said. “It has nothing to do with a former president legally keeping his own documents.”
“The Presidential Records Act does not confer any mandate, duty or even discretional authority on the archivist to classify records under the statute,” Trump said. “This responsibility is left solely to the President of the United States—so that’s the decision taken here.”
DONALD TRUMP: “If the Communists get away with this, it won’t stop with me… Now that the seal is broken — I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt President in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden and the entire Biden Crime Family.” pic.twitter.com/Vwz4L46ZMz
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 14, 2023
He highlighted that he is facing the threat of 400 years in prison for possessing presidential papers, a practice that has been followed by every other president. According to Trump, the law grants the president an absolute right to take documents with him upon leaving office.
“In other words, whatever documents the president decides to take with him, he has the right to do so—it’s an absolute right. This is the law.”
Trump criticized Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, pointing to their alleged mishandling of classified records.
He expressed frustration that Clinton was not indicted for her actions, while he, despite doing everything correctly, faced indictment. Trump also referenced previous administrations, such as George W. Bush’s, which lost millions of emails without facing any consequences.
DONALD TRUMP:
Hillary Clinton broke the law and she didn’t get indicted
Joe Biden broke the law — and in many other ways we’re finding out — and so far has not gotten indicted
I did everything right and they indicted me pic.twitter.com/vncTXW9E8n
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 14, 2023
Accusing the Biden administration’s Department of Justice of violating his rights, Trump labeled the situation as the “horrific violations” orchestrated by “Crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized Department of Injustice.”
