Following the release of the federal indictment against former President Donald J. Trump, Republican members of the House of Representatives expressed their outrage on Thursday night. They promised to resist the Justice Department using their majority power in Congress.
Minutes after the indictments became public, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee posted “WITCH HUNT” on its Twitter account.
Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who chairs the committee, has been using his position to pressurize the Justice Department regarding what he views as the unjust treatment of Mr. Trump. He sent a letter this week to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting unredacted documents related to the special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation.
“It’s a sad day for America,” stated Mr. Jordan. “God bless President Trump.”
Members of Congress have no authority to stop criminal charges against individuals, but they can use their legislative powers to interfere with prosecutors. These powers include issuing subpoenas, requiring witness interviews or documents, restricting Justice Department funding, and using their office’s platform to try to influence the case publicly.
Several Republicans, who are closely aligned with Mr. Trump, claimed, without evidence, that the indictment was an attempt to distract from their inquiry into President Biden’s family, including Hunter Biden’s business dealings. They made it apparent that they would retaliate against federal law enforcement.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, referred to the case against Mr. Trump as a “stain on our nation that the F.B.I. and D.O.J. are so corrupt, and they don’t even hide it anymore.” She added, “We must win in 2024. We must beat these sick people.”
Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and one of Mr. Trump’s closest allies, anticipated that the former president would triumph over the charges and that his adversaries would be imprisoned.
“This scheme won’t succeed. President Donald Trump will be back in the White House, and Joe Biden will be Hunter’s cellmate,” Mr. Gaetz tweeted.
This year marked the second instance of House Republicans coming to Mr. Trump’s defense when he was charged with criminal offenses. Speaker Kevin McCarthy promised in April to employ the House’s investigative powers to hold Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, “responsible” after Mr. Trump was charged in New York with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
