GOP Lawmakers, 2024 Candidates Respond to Trump’s Possible Jan. 6 Indictment

The Department of Justice notified former President Donald Trump that he is a target of the federal Jan. 6 investigation, according to a Truth Social post from Trump on Tuesday. Republican lawmakers and Trump’s 2024 Republican rivals are responding to the news.

GOP Lawmakers: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accused the DOJ of targeting Trump to hurt his chances in 2024, stating, “Recently President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. So what do they do now? Weaponize government to go after their No. 1 opponent.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) accused Special Counsel Jack Smith of targeting Republicans, calling him a “lousy attorney.” 

2024 Opponents: Ron DeSantis said Trump “should have come out more forcefully” to calm protests on Jan. 6, but pushed back on the DOJ investigation, stating, “I think what we’ve seen in this country is an attempt to criminalize politics and to try to criminalize differences.” Asa Hutchinson called on Trump to suspend his campaign, stating, “Donald Trump would like the American people to believe that he is the victim in this situation, the truth is that the real victims of January 6th were our democracy, our rule of law, and those Capitol Police officers who worked valiantly to protect our Capitol.” Nikki Hayley told Fox News (Right bias) that “The rest of this primary election is going to be in reference to Trump… We can’t keep dealing with this drama. We can’t keep dealing with the negativity.”