Sen. Mitt Romney on Friday said former President Donald Trump brought criminal charges “upon himself” by taking sensitive government documents to Florida.
Mr. Romney’s position breaks with GOP lawmakers who’ve rallied behind the ex-president as he faces a federal indictment.
The Utah Republican who voted to convict Mr. Trump on impeachment charges, said the former president is entitled to the presumption of innocence as he confronts a seven-count indictment that pivots on sensitive documents found at Mar-a-Lago and efforts to return them to the National Archives.
“By all appearances, the Justice Department and special counsel have exercised due care, affording Mr. Trump the time and opportunity to avoid charges that would not generally have been afforded to others,” Mr. Romney said. “Mr. Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified documents but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous opportunities to do so.”
The position from Mr. Romney, the GOP nominee for president in 2012, breaks sharply from GOP figures like Vivek Ramaswamy, the 2024 presidential candidate who vowed to pardon Mr. Trump, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who rallied behind the president.
Mr. Romney showed no interest in defending Mr. Trump and said the charges fit a historical pattern.
DOCUMENT: United States v. Donald J. Trump and Waltine Nauta
“These allegations are serious and, if proven, would be consistent with his other actions offensive to the national interest, such as withholding defensive weapons from Ukraine for political reasons and failing to defend the Capitol from violent attack and insurrection,” Mr. Romney said.
Mr. Trump says the charges are part of a broad political witch hunt designed to thwart his 2024 campaign. He says the Justice Department should focus equal attention on President Biden and the classified documents found among materials at a Washington think tank used by Mr. Biden and the president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.