Donald Trump has reiterated claims he is the victim of a “witch hunt” and said he was being framed for “treason” in a speech to supporters in Georgia.
It is his first public appearance since a federal indictment charged him with 37 felony counts in connection with hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Speaking in Georgia on Saturday, he called it “one of the most horrific abuses of power in our country”, a “vicious persecution” and a “travesty of justice” by Joe Biden’s administration.
“They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try and stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people,” Trump said, later adding, “In the end, they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you.”
He reiterated claims he won the 2020 election, saying: “We have fake elections, we have no borders, we have inflation.”
Mr Trump is speaking to Republican voters in Georgia and North Carolina as he tries to rally supporters to his defence.
He repeated an assertion he had done nothing wrong, claiming he had been covered by the Presidential Records Act.
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“This whole fake indictment, they don’t even once mention the presidential records act… Because they want to use something called the espionage act,” he said.
About 100 supporters, some waving “Witch Hunt” signs, showed up to the Columbus airfield to greet Trump as he arrived.
Jan Plemmons, 66, wearing an oversize foam “Make America Great Again” hat, called the federal charges “absolutely ridiculous” and said she was ready to campaign with Trump.
Republicans counteroffensive
While the indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents is set to play out in a federal court in Florida, about a thousand miles away, part of Trump’s defence is well underway in a different venue – the halls of Congress.
Republicans have been preparing for months to wage an aggressive counteroffensive against the Justice Department.
The Republican campaign to discredit federal prosecutors skims over the substance of those charges, which were brought by a grand jury in Florida.
GOP lawmakers are instead working, as they have for several years, to foster a broader argument that law enforcement – and President Joe Biden – are conspiring against the former president and possible Republican nominee for president in 2024.
Front runner for GOP nomination
He remains the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, despite his mounting legal woes. He has repeatedly claimed he is the victim of a politically motivated “witch hunt” by Biden’s Justice Department.
Trump is accused of wilfully defying Justice Department demands to return classified documents, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that he wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored at his residence.
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The indictment includes allegations that he stored documents in a shower and ballroom at his resort, among other places.
The most serious charges carry potential prison sentences of up to 20 years each, but first-time offenders rarely get anywhere near the maximum sentence and the decision would ultimately be up to the judge.
