U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) is pushing back against Democrats for politicizing the indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Trump was arraigned on 34 counts on Tuesday.
“The American people are sick and tired of the political weaponization of the justice system in this country,” Balderson said. “It erodes trust in our institutions and is a distraction from the very real crime crisis wreaking havoc across America. This latest development is yet another example of Democrat politicians undermining our democracy.”
In the 2020 election, Trump handily beat President Joe Biden in Knox County. In that election, Trump received over 71% of ballots cast with 22,340 votes to Biden’s 27.3% of ballots cast with 8,589 votes.
In that same election, Trump won Ohio with 53.3% of the vote on 3,154,834 votes cast. Biden received 45.2% of the vote with 2,679,165 votes cast.
In 2016, Trump carried Knox County with over 66% of the ballots cast and 19,131 votes to Hillary Clinton’s 28.25% of the ballots cast with 8,171 votes.
Trump won Ohio in 2016 with 51.7% of the vote and 2,841,005 votes to Clinton’s 43.6% of the vote and 2,394,164 votes.
Balderson represents Ohio’s 12th District, which includes the communities east of Columbus including Zanesville, Cambridge and Mount Vernon, as well as Athens County, Coshocton County, Fairfield County, Guernsey County, Knox County, Licking County, Morgan County, Muskingum County and Perry County, along with parts of Delaware, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties.
In comments at his Mar-a-Lago estate in the wake of the arraignment, Trump denounced the charges.
“This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election, and it should be dropped immediately,” Trump said.
Trump posted a statement to his Truth Social social media platform following the indictment.
"This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history,” Trump said.
“From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your president of the United States, the radical left Democrats – the enemy of the hardworking men and women of this country – have been engaged in a witch hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this.”
"The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to 'get Trump,' but now they've done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant election interference.”
"Never before in our nation's history has this been done. The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a president of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for president, has never happened before. Ever.”
"Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg, who was hand-picked and funded by George Soros, is a disgrace. Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he's doing Joe Biden's dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on. This is how Bragg spends his time!”
"I believe this witch hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden. The American people realize exactly what the radical left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it. So our movement, and our party – united and strong – will first defeat Alvin Bragg, and then we will defeat Joe Biden, and we are going to throw every last one of these crooked Democrats out of office so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
