Former President Donald Trump's Republican allies rallied behind him after he revealed that he received a target letter from special counsel Jack Smith, indicating he is likely to be indicted for a third time this year — this time for his role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election.
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called the target letter "absolute bulls**t."
"This is the only way that the Democrats have to beat President Trump is to arrest him, smear him, charge him with ridiculous charges," said Greene, who has repeatedly defended the pro-Trump Capitol rioters. "All in cover-up of Joe Biden's crimes, Hunter Biden's crimes. It's unbelievable. It's hard to even recognize that this is our country. The American people are going to be furious. And what Jack Smith is doing is the weaponized government. He's weaponizing the Department of Justice against President Trump in a complete lie about President Trump and January 6th. It's outrageous. I can't believe our country has to endure this."
“It’s absolute bullshit.”
— The Recount (@therecount) July 18, 2023
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) reacts to Trump claiming he is a target in the DoJ’s January 6th investigation. pic.twitter.com/lPv6XIKKAx
"Jack Smith is a lousy attorney," Greene later tweeted. "His career is filled with mistrials, overturned cases, and judicial rebukes. He only targets Republicans because he's a weak little bitch for the Democrats," she added, repeating a phrase she recently used to describe former ally Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.
Jack Smith is a lousy attorney.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) July 18, 2023
His career is filled with mistrials, overturned cases, and judicial rebukes.
He only targets Republicans because he’s a weak little bitch for the Democrats.
House Republican leaders were also quick to condemn the Department of Justice for naming Trump as a target of the Jan. 6 investigation, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who claimed that the former president was targeted due to his poll numbers.
"Recently President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. So what do they do now? Weaponize government to go after their No. 1 opponent," he told reporters. "This is not equal justice. They treat people differently and they go after their adversaries."
Shortly after the insurrection transpired, McCarthy stated that Trump "bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters."
"He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. These facts require immediate action by President Trump," he added at the time.
McCarthy suggests that Trump is about to be indicted again because his poll numbers went up pic.twitter.com/V0TFTxiANi
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 18, 2023
House Minority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., suggested Trump is facing a "double standard."
"Now you see the Biden administration going after President Trump once again, it begs the question — is there a double standard? Is justice being administered equally?" he asked during a press conference.
Scalise on Trump Target Letter: I think it’s interesting that the same week you have this whistleblower coming forward to testify, you see different attacks by the Biden Administration on President Trump pic.twitter.com/K9ERqHVWVR
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 18, 2023
But some of Trump's Republican primary rivals used the target letter as an opportunity to take rare shots at the former president.
Nikki Haley, Trump's former ambassador to the United Nations, warned on Fox News that Trump's legal woes will "continue to be a further and further distraction."
"We can't keep dealing with this drama. We can't keep dealing with the negativity. We can't keep dealing with all of this," she said.
Haley on Trump Target Letter: That's why I am running is because we need a new generational leader. We can't keep dealing with this drama or dealing with the negativity. pic.twitter.com/EC9oRYVOK3
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 18, 2023
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson emphasized that he has "said from the beginning that Donald Trump's actions on January 6 should disqualify him from ever being President again."
"Trump would like the American people to believe he is the victim... The truth is the real victims of J6 were our democracy, our rule of law, and the Capitol Police Officers," he said in a statement.
See my statement on the news that Donald Trump is a target of the #January6th Investigation: pic.twitter.com/jeor7zoUMi
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) July 18, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued that Trump should have "come out more forcefully" during the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attacks, saying, "It was shown how he was in the White House and didn't do anything while things were going on."
He added, however, that to criminally penalize such behavior "is a different issue entirely."
"We want to be in a situation where you don't have one side just wanting to put the other side in jail," he said.
DeSantis says Trump “should have come out more forcefully” on Jan. 6.
— Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) July 18, 2023
“I think it was shown how he was in the White House & didn’t do anything while things were going on. He should have come out more forcefully…but to try to criminalize that that’s a different issue entirely.” pic.twitter.com/q5PCR30MLX
