By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday urged supporters and critics of former President Donald Trump to let his case “peacefully proceed before the courts” after his indictment.
US prosecutors unveiled a 37-count indictment against Trump on Friday, accusing him of risking some of the country’s most sensitive security secrets after leaving office in 2021.
“No one is above the law, including Donald Trump. This indictment must now proceed through the legal process, without any outside political or ideological interference,” Schumer and Jeffries said in a statement. joint statement.
“We encourage supporters and critics of Mr. Trump to allow this matter to proceed peacefully through the courts,” their joint statement added.
President Joe Biden said Friday he has not spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland and has no intention of doing so because the Justice Department’s indictment against the Republican Trump was not sealed.
Biden and top congressional Democrats Schumer and Jeffries did not directly target Trump on Friday over the indictment related to the former president’s handling of classified documents.
Trump faces 37 charges, including charges of unauthorized withholding of classified documents and conspiracy to obstruct justice after leaving the White House in 2021, according to federal court documents released Friday.
Republicans have alleged, without evidence, that the investigation into Trump, who is running to oust Biden from the White House in 2024, is politically motivated. Biden and senior officials have repeatedly said the Justice Department is acting independently.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jasper Ward and Alistair Bell)