Trump Downplays Legal Obstacles While Campaigning in Iowa, Following Disclosure of New Investigative Letter

On Tuesday night, ex-President Donald Trump made light of his legal predicaments during a campaign event in eastern Iowa. His humor came mere hours post his revelation of a target letter linked to the Justice Department’s probe into attempts to reverse the 2020 election results.

While headlining a Republican county meeting, Trump launched a verbal assault on investigators and attempted to jest about the potentiality of a third criminal indictment since March.

“I was hardly familiar with the terms subpoena and grand juries, but now I’m becoming well-versed,” he shared with attendees at a Cedar Rapids Elks Lodge.

He also made an appearance on a Fox News town hall, confessing to host Sean Hannity that the allegations perturbed him.

“I’m disturbed,” he expressed while persistently painting the investigations as politically driven. “The DOJ has morphed into a tool for the Democrats,” he accused.

His journey to Iowa, the initial GOP voting state, further evidenced the notion that the customary rules of politics don’t seem to apply to Trump. He neither canceled the trip for strategy sessions with advisors nor was he uninvited by event organizers. Instead, he incorporated his recent legal troubles into his standard stump speech filled with complaints, false assertions about the 2020 election, criticism of President Joe Biden, and plans for a second term.

Iowa, with its imminent caucuses, is a vital state for Trump, his party’s clear early favorite, and his competitors.

The ex-President embarked on this latest journey hours post his announcement on his Truth Social platform that he received a Sunday letter, informing him of being the focus of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the post-2020 election period and the events preceding the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Such letters commonly predict indictments and notify individuals under investigation of evidence linking them to a crime.

Trump already faces two indictments – one in New York and one in Florida – along with potential charges from a separate Georgia election interference investigation. This significant and unparalleled legal storm is brewing as he runs for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Yet, these indictments haven’t hurt Trump’s status. Preliminary polling shows him leading his closest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, by a wide margin.

Despite Trump’s legal woes, his supporters remain steadfast. According to Linn County, Iowa, GOP chair Bernie Hayes, the news of the target letter has only fueled their resolve.

“Does it evoke sympathy? I believe so,” Hayes said. “People see President Trump is made tougher by the trials he’s experienced and recognizes what he’s up against,” he added.

Teresa Horton-Bumgarner, from small-town Solon, east of Cedar Rapids, agreed. She believes that the Biden administration is “misusing the judiciary as a political weapon.”

The investigation into the Jan. 6 incident has focused on a wide range of efforts by Trump and his allies to maintain power, including plans for fraudulent electors in several key states won by Biden to send deceptive electoral certificates to Congress.

In Washington, Republican Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa expressed that Trump’s supporters would not be deterred by the recent developments.

Trump has rallied Republicans against the investigation, engaging in discussions with key GOP allies such as Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to anonymous sources.

Despite the constant legal challenges, some Republicans believe voters may eventually “tune out” the noise surrounding Trump.

This report includes contributions from Colvin in New York, and Big Big News writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro in Washington.

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