What's Next After Trump's Indictment?
AllSides Summary
What does former President Donald Trump's indictment mean for him, the Biden administration, and the 2024 presidential race?
Trump and the GOP: Widely considered the party's 2024 frontrunner, Trump is the first former or current president to be indicted on federal charges. He said he'll plead not guilty.
Charges, Timing Leave Questions: Many suggested the indictment wasn't a surprise, but some questioned the specifics, including the conspiracy charge – which implies at least one other person was involved. Some also highlighted the charge of willfully violating rules around classified documents, while mentioning context about the ongoing investigation into President Joe Biden's retention of classified documents.
What the Left Said: Left-rated commentators often framed the indictment as an overdue reckoning for longtime criminal behavior. One MSNBC (Left bias) writer said it also "condemns Republicans who have defended Trump over the years in the face of similar evidence." A CNN opinion (Left) writer questioned why Trump has "remained such a towering figure within the party," and said "the odds of any other Republican usurping him still seem low" in 2024.
What the Right Said: Many right-rated pundits highlighted Trump's response and other critics of the indictment, especially Republican lawmakers. Some also pondered who else may be charged, and whether charging Trump with willfully breaking the law was an effort to distinguish his case from Biden's. A Townhall (Right) writer highlighted "serious questions about how DOJ is using the power of the federal government to target President Joe Biden's top political opponent."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
GOP sees conflict of interest in Trump indictment
Republican senators, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, are warning the indictment brought by the Department of Justice against former President Donald Trump raises serious conflict-of-interest issues for Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The senators, who mostly spoke to The Hill in the hours before Trump himself broke the news of his indictment, cited Trump’s status as the leading Republican candidate for president and the fact that federal investigators have also seized classified documents that President Biden kept in his personal possession after leaving the Obama administration.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the...
From the Right
Trump Is Being Charged with Willfully Retaining National-Defense Information
Reporting from the Washington Post and New York Times indicates that former president Donald Trump has been indicted on seven felony counts. The indictment obtained by special counsel Jack Smith from a federal grand jury in Miami is still under seal, so the reports are based on leaks from people said to be knowledgeable.
The most notable thing I’ve seen is that, in charging Trump with an Espionage Act offense, prosecutors are relying on a provision that criminalizes willful violations of the rules that government officials are required to follow in handling national-defense intelligence. This seems like an...
From the Left
Trump didn't learn from his first impeachment. Now he’s paying the price.
Former President Donald Trump was indicted on Thursday on seven federal charges, including conspiracy to obstruct false statements and conspiracy to obstruct, two sources briefed on the charges confirmed to NBC News. The charges from special counsel Jack Smith spring from the Justice Department’s probe of why over 100 classified documents were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last August, even though a subpoena had demanded he turn them over to the government.
It is the first set of federal criminal charges against Trump, but not the first time that his actions have been viewed through the lens of obstruction. If...
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