Trump says he will run for president of the United States even if convicted

Reuters – Former President Donald Trump used his first public appearance since his federal indictment to escalate attacks on the Justice Department, accusing prosecutors, without evidence, of a politically motivated campaign to prevent him from the White House.

Speaking Saturday at the Georgia Republican convention, Trump alleged that President Joe Biden, a Democrat, orchestrated the criminal charges to undermine his main political rival’s presidential campaign, as well as distract from federal and congressional investigations into Biden’s son.

There is no evidence to support Trump’s claims. The Justice Department says all of its investigative decisions are made without regard to partisan politics, and Biden has said he will not participate in the investigation against Trump.

“The absurd and baseless accusation from the Department of Justice armed in a Biden administration will become one of the most egregious abuses of power in the history of our country,” Trump told a crowd of local party officials.

“This malicious pursuit is an affront to justice.”

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His comments come a day after prosecutors unsealed a 37-count indictment against him, alleging he neglected classified documents that included some of the nation’s most sensitive security secrets after leaving the White House in 2021.

Prosecutors allege the former president withheld material, including documents about the US nuclear program and internal vulnerabilities for a possible attack, that he knew he should not have kept.

The 49-page indictment also detailed two occasions in which Trump allegedly shared classified information with people not authorized to receive it, as well as efforts to obstruct government investigators seeking to recover the materials.

The indictment of a former US president on federal charges is unprecedented in American history and comes as Trump is considered the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination next year.

Trump told Politico on Saturday that he would continue to run for president even if convicted.