The different ways Republicans defend Trump over indictment are revealing
Most Republicans have reacted to Donald Trump's latest indictment by defending the former president and denouncing the prosecution. But dig a little deeper, and the language they use to defend him is revealing.
2023-06-13 13:39:10 - VI News Staff
It is sometimes said of America's stark political divisions that the US is two countries sharing the same landmass. The same could be said of the Republican party - it's several parties sharing the same political brand.
Donald Trump's indictment under the Espionage Act has made those divisions within the party particularly stark.
Here's a quick look at how the various factions are talking about the classified documents charges - and what's motivating their responses.
This is the group most under scrutiny, and the group with the most to lose - the Republicans running against Mr.Trump for the party's presidential nomination in 2024.
These are the people who want to distinguish themselves from Mr.Trump, while not alienating his supporters.
They seem to get round the dilemma by focusing their defence on the suggestion that the law isn't being fairly applied since Joe Biden, when he was vice-president, also took classified documents as he left office. The current president is still being investigated, but a key difference is that he returned the files.