resident Joe Biden on Thursday said that he did not pressure the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring charges against former President Donald Trump as a special prosecutor is reportedly deciding to indict the former president.
On Thursday evening, Trump stated that he was informed that he was summoned to appear at a Miami courthouse on June 13, saying that special counsel Jack Smith will indict him following an investigation into whether he mishandled classified documents that culminated in an FBI raid targeting his Mar-a-Lago residence in August. Trump said that he is “an innocent man” and described the case against him as “election interference.”
Hours before that, Biden spoke to reporters alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and was asked if Americans should have trust in the DOJ in the midst of the Trump probe.
“You’ll notice I have never once, not one single time, suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do, relative to bringing a charge or not bringing a charge. I’m honest,” Biden said in response.
Meanwhile, the DOJ has not unsealed the charges that are being brought against the former president. His attorneys, however, confirmed on Thursday night that he was charged with seven counts relating to the Espionage Act.
“It does have some language in it that suggests what the seven charges would be. Not 100 percent clear that all of those are separate charges, but they basically break out from an Espionage Act charge,” Trump lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN, describing the espionage charge as “ludicrous.” There are also multiple “obstruction-based-type charges and then false statement charges,” the attorney said.
Trusty further said that Trump received a summons to court via email, while his team has not received a copy of the indictment so far. He said that Trump will appear in court on Tuesday but gave no further information in the CNN interview.
