House Speaker Kevin McCarthy decried the indictments against former President Donald Trump, saying President Biden is using the government to pursue his top political rival.
Mr. McCarthy’s comments Thursday during a tour of a 5G hardware manufacturing facility in Syracuse, New York, came before Mr. Trump’s arrest in Georgia related to charges that stemmed from his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“Why would you go after a political opponent just because you disagree with him?” said Mr. McCarthy, California Republican. “Are you afraid of him? Is it because he is ahead in the polls? You indict him?”
Mr. Trump has been charged in four indictments and has racked up 91 criminal counts.
Two of the indictments were handed down by special counsel Jack Smith, a Biden Justice Department appointee.
One of Mr. Smith’s indictments is related to whether Mr. Trump illegally mishandled classified government documents. Mr. Trump faces 40 criminal charges in that case, including 32 counts of willful retention of national defense information.
The other stems from Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the Capitol. The former president faces four felony charges in that case.
“What I have a problem with is using political organizations, using your government, to go after him,” Mr. McCarthy said.
Mr. McCarthy also questioned why Hillary Clinton and Stacey Abrams were never indicted for their election claims.
Mrs. Clinton called Mr. Trump an illegitimate president and said her loss in the 2016 election was a product of Russian collusion — a claim that an investigation debunked.
Ms. Abrams said her bids against Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in 2018 and 2022 were rigged because of voter suppression in the state.
Mr. McCarthy has spent Congress’ summer break floating an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden, which could happen as soon as September when lawmakers return to the Capitol.
Mr. McCarthy has pressed the Biden administration to hand over documents that the president says will show he was not involved in his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings and that he did not accept a bribe from Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Mr. Biden shot back at Mr. McCarthy on social media, but not for the speaker’s comments about his usage of the Justice Department. Mr. McCarthy was touring JMA Wireless in support of Rep. Brandon Williams, New York Republican. The company benefited from provisions in Mr. Biden’s infrastructure bill — legislation that Mr. McCarthy voted against.
“I’m glad that my administration’s infrastructure investments are so popular that even Speaker McCarthy is trying to take credit for them, despite voting against them,” Mr. Biden said on X, formerly Twitter. “That’s all right. I’ll see him at the next groundbreaking.”
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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