Democrat lawmakers were quick to react following the news that former President Donald Trump had been indicted on charges connected to his handling of classified documents, with some saying that the former president is not “above the law” and calling his behavior “extremist” and “toxic.”
“No one is above the law,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said in a Twitter post.
“The chaos of Trump continues,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said on Twitter. “What he’s doing to this country, the extremism and danger he and his allies present, has to end. Only when those who support and enable him decide to be done with this toxic behavior, will this all be behind us.”
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, Monday, April 3, 2023, in New York. Trump arrived in New York on Monday for his expected booking and arraignment the following day on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
While many Republican lawmakers accused the Justice Department of attempting to interfere with the upcoming 2024 presidential election, Democrats called the indictment an “affirmation of the rule of law.”
“It’s time that we ensure Trump is banned from running for any public office again,” echoed Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) in a press release.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla., after being arraigned earlier in the day in New York City. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) shared in the celebration, saying the indictment is “one of many steps” toward eliminating Trump as a threat to fair elections.
“I will always believe that this twice-impeached former president is a threat to our democracy,” he tweeted.
“Everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) said in a Twitter post. “But we don’t need a judge or jury to determine if his destruction of decency and dangerous incompetence continues to stain America.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) cautioned Republicans against what he called the “dangerous rhetoric about a ‘two-tiered system of justice.’”
Trump has been ordered to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, June 13.