Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says events at the White House following the 2020 election were a “disgrace” and “stain” on the country after special counsel Jack Smith indicted former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the results.
Mr. Christie, a GOP contender for president, used the indictment to layer on new criticism of the former president as he attacks Mr. Trump’s character and fitness for office in New Hampshire and other early primary states.
“The events around the White House from election night forward are a stain on our country’s history & a disgrace to the people who participated. This disgrace falls the most on Donald Trump,” Mr. Christie posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He swore an oath to the Constitution, violated his oath & brought shame to his presidency.”
The indictment outlines Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 results in key states, including direct calls to state leaders and the formation of sham rosters of electors.
In remarks shortly after the indictment was handed up, Mr. Smith said the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was an “unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy” and “fueled by lies.”
“Lies by the defendant, targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government, a nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election,” Mr. Smith said.
Mr. Trump says the indictment is an attempt to derail his 2024 bid and amounts to election interference.
Writing on Truth Social, Mr. Trump on Wednesday thanked people who offered their support as he faces three criminal indictments and may be staring at a fourth out of Fulton County, Georgia, in the coming days.
“I have never had so much support on anything before,” he wrote.
The indictment outlines Mr. Trump’s efforts to convince his vice president, Mike Pence, to send electoral votes back to the states instead of certifying them on Jan. 6, 2021. A pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol during the certification, forcing lawmakers to finish the job later that evening.
“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” tweeted Mr. Pence, who is running for president.
Another GOP contender, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, said, “America deserves a leader who respects the rule of law.”
Others were more measured in their responses.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that “while I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment.”
“I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, DC to their home districts,” he tweeted. “Washington, DC is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality.”
Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who is running for president, said Mr. Trump is being punished while President Biden’s son, Hunter, got soft treatment.
“I remain concerned about the weaponization of Biden’s DOJ and its immense power used against political opponents,” Mr. Scott tweeted. “What we see today are two different tracks of justice. One for political opponents and another for the son of the current president.”
• Jeff Mordock contributed to this report.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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