Court documents made public on Friday detailed 37 criminal counts against former U.S. President Donald Trump, including charges of unauthorized retention of classified documents and conspiracy to obstruct justice after he left the White House in 2021.
Following are some reactions to the news:
* Jack Smith, special counsel in the case:
"Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States and must be enforced. Violation of those laws put our country at risk."
*Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as reported by Fox News on Twitter:
The charges are "going to disrupt this nation because it goes to the core of equal justice for all, which is not being seen today. And we're not going to stand for it,”
*President Joe Biden
Asked if he had spoken to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland soon after the indictment against Trump was unsealed, Biden said: "I have not spoken to him at all and I’m not going to."
*Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and Republican presidential hopeful
"I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country," DeSantis said in remarks on Friday night, not mentioning Trump by name.
"Hillary had the emails," DeSantis said. "Is there a different standard for a Democrat secretary of state versus a former Republican president?"
*Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor and Republican presidential hopeful
"The facts that are laid out here are damning in terms of Donald Trump's conduct, and that's what I think we as a party should be looking at. Do we really believe that someone who engaged in this type of conduct is going to be the best person to put up against Joe Biden?"
*Sarah Matthews, former White House deputy press secretary under Trump
"All the 2024 GOP candidates and Republicans who rushed to defend Trump before the indictment was unsealed seem to have a lot of egg on their faces now. This indictment is highly detailed and troubling."
*Daniel Richman, a professor at Columbia Law School and former federal prosecutor
"The indictment stitched together considerable evidence of conscious and sustained wrongdoing and utter contempt for normal government processes. ... Critical details are the references to top secret materials and the litany of Trump comments about classification regimes — the need for others to respect them but willful disregard of them on his own part."
*Senator John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference
“This indictment certainly looks like an unequal application of justice. ... Large amounts of classified materials were found in President Biden’s garage in Delaware. No indictment. Hillary Clinton had a computer server in her house with classified documents. No indictment. ... You can’t help but ask why this is happening. It feels political, and it’s rotten.”
*Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow
"He stored highly classified documents in his bathroom!? Talk about a sh*tshow."
*Georgetown University law professor Todd Huntley
"Between surveillance video footage, text messages and this audio recording, they have very strong evidence of the willful and intentional retention of those documents."
*Republican U.S. Representative Andy Briggs
"We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye."
*Matt Bennett, co-founder of center-left think tank Third Way
"It’s impossible to bet against Trump’s staying power with the Republican base. ... If I had to bet, I’d pick Trump to win the nomination. But this conduct charged in this indictment is even worse than we expected – that might break through."
*Former Republican Representative Denver Riggleman
"For someone who has taken a oath to this country as an enlisted troop, commissioned intel officer and Congressman — and held the highest clearance levels — reading the Trump indictment is akin to setting my American soul on fire. Any elected official who defends Trump is unserious and worthy of contempt."
(Compiled by Reuters; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Leslie Adler)