Republicans double down on defense of Trump after fourth criminal indictment

WASHINGTON (TND) — For the fourth time in recent months, prominent figures in the Republican party have sounded off against a criminal indictment brought against former President Donald Trump.

The latest charges were unsealed Monday night in Fulton County, Georgia. A grand jury voted to indict Trump and 18 co-defendants–including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani– for alleged efforts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results.

Trump now faces a total of 91 criminal charges across four cases.

Minutes after the Georgia indictment was unsealed Monday night, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

"Justice should be blind, but Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election," he said. "Now a radical DA in Georgia is following Biden’s lead by attacking President Trump and using it to fundraise her political career. Americans see through this desperate sham."

Trump loyalists like Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Byron Donalds, Jim Jordan and Andy Biggs also spoke out against what they continue to claim is a "two-tiered" justice system.

In a Fox News interview Monday night, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., echoed that complaint.

“Between Manhattan and Fulton County and D.C., the most liberal jurisdictions in the country, it is very unfair to President Trump," he said.

Like the previous three indictments, most of Trump's opponents in the Republican presidential primary have criticized the charges or refused to call Trump out for his alleged criminal conduct.

Vivek Ramaswamy called the indictment "disastrous" and "downright pathetic."

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Trump's loudest critics, said he doesn't think the Georgia indictment was necessary for Trump because he believes Special Counsel Jack Smith's second indictment covered enough of the same conduct, but does believe it was right to charge others.

Remember, as to the other defendants, Jack Smith chose not to charge them. So, I would have less of a problem with this is if (Fani Willis) decided, ‘OK, I’m not gonna charge Donald Trump here because he’s been charged for essentially this conduct by Jack Smith but Giuliani and Meadows and others have not been charged at the federal level.’ That would be a more defensible indictment, I think," Christie told Fox News.

Two other staunch critics of Trump who are running against him, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, are doubling down on their condemnation.

"Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump's actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again. Those words are more true today than ever before," Hutchinson said in a statement.

In his own statement, Hurd, who has accused Trump of running for office to avoid prison, called the Fulton County indictment "another example of how the former president's baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the Republican nominee."