Former US President Donald Trump made the comments during a speech in Georgia on Saturday
Former US President Donald Trump called the federal indictment against him “ridiculous and baseless” in his first public appearance since the charges were announced.
A 37-count indictment made public Friday accuses him of storing sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago property.
The indictment amounts to “election interference” by the “corrupt” FBI and justice department, he said Saturday.
He denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Trump has been accused of mishandling hundreds of classified documents, including some about US nuclear secrets and military plans.
The indictment accuses him of keeping files at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago in a ballroom and shower.
He lied to investigators and tried to obstruct their investigation into his handling of the documents, the indictment said.
This is the first ever criminal prosecution against a former US president.
In a speech on Saturday at a Republican Party convention in Georgia, Mr Trump said: “They cheat, they are crooked, they are corrupt – these criminals cannot be rewarded, they must be defeated.”
He joked that every time he flew into a “blue state” — one controlled by Democrats — he would be subpoenaed.
Trump, who is running again for the White House in 2024, called the accusation a “trick” by the “corrupt political establishment”, also describing it as a “joke” and a “travesty”.
The talk continued for more than an hour.
It began with his thanking the “record crowd” as well as the “patriots” from Georgia who supported his bid for the White House – this was interspersed with an observation about the age of the building he spoke of.
He then denounced the “destructive forces” running the country.
“We will stand up to the current political establishment … and we will finish the job we started, the most successful presidency,” he said, a line that led to chants of “USA, USA” erupting from the crowd. of the people.
“I will never yield, I will never be deterred,” he said, before turning his attention to groups he said were plotting against him.
This includes Marxists, communists, “environmental extremists”, Rinos – Republicans in Name Only – as well as “open border fanatics” and “radical left democrats”.
Referring to the indictment, he admitted that the highly sensitive documents should have fallen under the Presidential Records Act, rather than the Espionage Act.
Under the Presidential Records Act, White House records must go to the National Archives when an administration ends. Regulations require such files to be stored securely.
He also said that “gun-toting FBI agents” invaded Mar-a-Lago.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is in charge of the investigation, denied the charges were politically-motivated, saying: “We have a set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.”
As momentum begins to build towards the 2024 election, Mr Trump spoke at a Republican Party convention in Columbus, Georgia, before moving on to another Republican Party event in Greensboro, North Carolina.
He is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Georgia is likely to be a key battleground in the race for the White House, and where Mr.
State officials are now looking into whether Mr Trump broke the law when he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the exact number of votes he needed to overturn his vote. favor
