GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) 鈥 Former President Donald Trump blasted his historic federal indictment as 鈥渞idiculous鈥 and 鈥渂aseless" Saturday during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed, painting the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage and project a sense of normalcy.
Speaking at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina, Trump cast his indictment by the Department of Justice as an attempt to as he campaigns for a second term.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e launched one witch hunt after another to try and stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people,鈥 Trump alleged in Georgia, later telling the crowd that, "In the end, they鈥檙e not coming after me. They鈥檙e coming after you.鈥
The strategy is a well-worn one for Trump, who remains the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination despite his , which also include criminal charges filed against him in March in New York. Again and again, in the face of investigation, Trump has tried to delegitimize law enforcement officials and portray himself 鈥 and his supporters 鈥 as victims, even when he is accused of serious crimes.
Trump also vowed Saturday to remain in the race, even if he is convicted in the case.
鈥淚鈥檒l never leave,鈥 after his speech in Georgia. He further predicted that he wouldn't be convicted and sidestepped questions about whether he would pardon himself if he wins a second term.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever have to,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 do anything wrong.鈥
unsealed Friday charges Trump with willfully defying Justice Department demands that he return classified documents, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that he wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored at his residence.
The indictment includes allegations that he stored documents in a ballroom and bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort, among other places.
Trump is due to make his first federal court appearance Tuesday in Miami. He was charged alongside valet Walt Nauta, a personal aide whom prosecutors say moved boxes from a storage room to Trump鈥檚 residence for him to review and later lied to investigators about the movement. Nauta traveled with Trump on Saturday, appearing by his side at a Georgia Waffle House stop where the former president signed autographs, posed for photos and told supporters, 鈥淲e did absolutely nothing wrong.鈥
Earlier Saturday, Trump was given a hero's welcome at the party convention in Georgia, where he drew loud applause as he slammed the investigation as 鈥渁 political hit job鈥 and accused his political enemies of launching 鈥渙ne hoax and witch hunt after another鈥 to prevent his reelection.
鈥淭he ridiculous and baseless indictment by the Biden administration鈥檚 weaponized Department of Injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country," he said.
He also used his remarks to rail against President Joe Biden and his 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, accusing them of mishandling classified information and insisting he was treated unfairly because he is a Republican. But Trump overlooked a critical difference: Only he has been accused of intentionally trying to impede investigators by not returning the documents in question.
In the Clinton probe, for instance, FBI investigators concluded that although she was extremely careless in her handling of classified emails on a private server, there was no evidence that she intended to break the law. And though the Biden investigation is still ongoing, no evidence has emerged to suggest that he intentionally held onto the records or even knew that they were there, with his representatives turning over records after they were discovered and voluntarily consenting to FBI searches.
Trump also lingered on Georgia鈥檚 role in his 2020 defeat, repeating his lies that he had won the state and defending his efforts to overturn Biden鈥檚 victory, which is the subject of another ongoing investigation, this one by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Willis has suggested that any indictments would likely come in August.
At the heart of the investigation is a recorded phone conversation in which Trump urges Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to 鈥 just enough to overtake Biden and overturn Trump鈥檚 narrow loss in the state. Trump has defended the phone call as 鈥減erfect," and on Saturday lashed out against both Willis and the special counsel in the Mar-a-Lago case.
But aside from reacting to the news, Trump's remarks in both states largely mirrored his pre-indictment rally speeches, lending a sense of normalcy to a campaign that is well-practiced in responding to crisis.
And despite the latest criminal charges, attendees cheered him on in Georgia and in North Carolina, where he spoke at a state GOP convention dinner Saturday evening.
About 100 supporters, some waving 鈥淲itch Hunt鈥 signs, showed up to the Columbus, Georgia, airfield to greet Trump as he arrived. Jan Plemmons, 66, wearing an oversize foam 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 hat, called the federal charges 鈥渁bsolutely ridiculous鈥 and said she was ready to campaign with Trump. To Michael Sellers, 67, it was 鈥渃riminal what they're doing to him."
The indictment arrives as Trump is continuing to dominate the primary race. Among the various investigations Trump has faced, the documents case has long been considered the most perilous legal threat and the one most ripe for prosecution. But Trump鈥檚 continued popularity among Republican voters is evident in how gingerly his primary rivals have treated the federal indictment.
, whose appearance in North Carolina marked the first shared venue with his former boss since the ex-vice president this past week, condemned the 鈥減oliticization鈥 of the Justice Department and urged Attorney General Merrick Garland "to stop hiding behind the special counsel and stand before the American people鈥 to explain the basis for the federal investigation into Trump.
In an interview with The Associated Press after his speech, Pence said he had read the indictment but repeatedly declined to share his personal reaction to its contents 鈥 including the photographs of boxes with classified information stacked in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom and on a ballroom stage 鈥 or to criticize Trump.
鈥淭he very nature of a grand jury is that there is no defense presented,鈥 Pence said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I said today I鈥檓 going to urge patience, encourage people to be prayerful for the former president, but also for all those in authority and for the country going forward.鈥
At the North Carolina GOP gathering Friday night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's leading GOP rival, didn't mention Trump by name but compared his situation to that of Clinton.
鈥淚s there a different standard for a Democratic secretary of state versus a former Republican president?鈥 DeSantis asked. 鈥淚 think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country. ... At the end of the day, we will once and for all end the weaponization of government under my administration.鈥
Among the declared Republican contenders, only Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has explicitly called for Trump to end his candidacy. Hutchinson told reporters in Georgia that the Republican Party 鈥渟hould not lose its soul鈥 in defending Trump and said the evidence so far suggested that the former president treated national secrets 鈥渓ike entertainment tools.鈥
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Colvin and Kinnard reported from Greensboro, N.C. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Thomas Beaumont in Marshalltown, Iowa, and Holly Ramer in Derry, N.H., contributed to this report.
