Trump set for first public appearances since federal indictment with speeches to GOP conventions

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This Saturday, former President Donald Trump is slated to publicly appear for the first time following his federal indictment. He’ll be addressing receptive Republican crowds in Georgia and North Carolina in an attempt to rally support for his defense.

Despite facing increasing legal challenges, Trump continues to lead as the prime contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. It is anticipated that he will utilize his platform at two state party conventions to denounce the charges against him and emphasize his claims of being targeted in a “witch hunt” by Democratic President Joe Biden’s Justice Department.

Trump was hit with 37 felony counts related to his alleged stockpiling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, as per the indictment revealed on Friday. The indictment accuses Trump of deliberately disregarding Justice Department requests to return the classified material, involving his staff in concealing the records, and informing his attorneys of his intention to defy a subpoena for the materials at his residence. The charges also allege improper storage of documents in his resort’s ballroom and bathroom, among other locations.

While the most severe charges could lead to up to 20-year prison sentences, first-time offenders seldom receive such maximum sentences, with the ultimate decision resting in the hands of the judge.

Despite these legal issues, Trump is expected to receive a warm welcome from his most fervent supporters this weekend as he strives to solidify his position as the GOP’s top presidential candidate.

“Trump is a fighter, and the people who attend these conventions love a fighter,” remarked Jack Kingston, a former Georgia congressman who backed Trump’s presidential runs in 2016 and 2020.

Former Vice President Mike Pence also plans to speak to North Carolina Republicans, marking the first time he and Trump would be present at the same venue since Pence launched his own campaign this past week.

Trump maintains that he did nothing wrong, stating, “There was no crime, except for what the DOJ and FBI have been doing against me for years.”

Despite the recent indictment, Trump continues to influence the primary race. Other candidates have mainly targeted the Justice Department — not Trump — over the investigation. However, the extensive range of allegations in the indictment might make it difficult for Republicans to dismiss these charges compared to a prior, widely criticized New York criminal case.

A Trump campaign official described the former president as “defiant” ahead of his state visits. However, following the unsealing of the indictment, aides appeared more circumspect as they grappled with the serious legal implications and their potential threat to Trump beyond any immediate political advantage.

The federal indictment alleges that Trump intentionally held classified documents and brazenly displayed them to visitors and staff. The indictment is founded on Trump’s own statements and actions, as reported to prosecutors by attorneys, close aides, and other witnesses, which suggest he purported to respect and understand the processes for managing classified information.

Trump is scheduled for his first appearance in federal court in Miami on Tuesday. Alongside him, Walt Nauta, a personal aide, is charged with assisting Trump in moving boxes from a storage room to Trump’s residence and later lying to investigators about it. An image included in the indictment displays several dozen stacked file boxes in a storage area.

This case exacerbates Trump’s growing legal troubles. In March, he was indicted in New York for a hush-money scheme linked to payouts to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. He also faces potential criminal charges in Washington and Atlanta from additional investigations.

However, of the various probes he has faced, the documents case has long been viewed as the most threatening and most susceptible to prosecution.

Trump’s enduring popularity among Republican voters is apparent in how cautiously his primary opponents have handled the federal indictment.

Pence, who was campaigning in New Hampshire on Friday, expressed his deep concern about Trump’s federal indictment, stating that it could further split the country. Pence encouraged the audience to pray for Trump, his family, and all Americans, promising that if elected president, he would uphold the rule of law and initiate sweeping changes at the Department of Justice’s top echelons.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, another GOP rival of Trump, criticized the “weaponization of federal law enforcement” and an “unequal application of the law.” DeSantis did not provide any specific allegations but criticized two popular Republican targets — Hillary Clinton and Biden’s son, Hunter — implying they have avoided federal scrutiny due to political bias.

Speaking at the North Carolina GOP convention on Friday night, DeSantis did not mention Trump by name but once again compared the situation to Clinton.

Kari Lake, a Trump supporter who lost the Arizona governor’s race last year, used her speech to Georgia Republicans to reiterate Trump’s unfounded claims of a rigged 2020 election. She suggested that the indictment was another attempt to deny him the presidency.

Only Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, among the declared Republican candidates, explicitly called for Trump to withdraw his candidacy. Hutchinson, speaking at a Georgia convention breakfast, did not refer to Trump but told reporters afterward that the Republican Party “should not lose its soul” in defending Trump. The evidence suggested that the former president treated national secrets “like entertainment tools,” according to Hutchinson.

This report is credited to Colvin from Greensboro, North Carolina, along with contributions from Big Big News writers Meg Kinnard and Hannah Schoenbaum in Greensboro; Eric Tucker in Washington; Thomas Beaumont in Marshalltown, Iowa; and Holly Ramer in Derry, New Hampshire.

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