World News | Biden decides to talk as little as possible about Trump’s prosecution

WASHINGTON, June 12 (AP) — Leaders of the free world are rarely silent, but President Joe Biden is clearly determined to say as little as possible about the federal indictment of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

His White House dodged questions on the matter. His campaign did not respond to them. And Biden himself wants nothing to do with it. “I don’t have any comment on what happened,” he told reporters Friday in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

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The silence reflects the precarious and unprecedented situation in which Biden finds himself: Just as Trump was the first former president to be indicted by the federal government, Biden is the first to have his main political opponent indicted by him. A sitting president sued by his own government.

Though hardly anticipated, Trump’s indictment brought fresh reminders throughout Bidenworld that the president doesn’t want to be drawn into the drama with comments of any kind. He is wary of giving material to Trump and his allies, who have worked hard to paint the Justice Department as engaging in politically motivated prosecutions.

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Eric Dezenhall, a longtime crisis communications consultant, said Biden’s cautious path is prudent.

“You take certain positions not because they are persuasive, but because they cause the least harm,” he said. “Any syllable uttered by Biden or the White House team will be used in court and politically to validate the witch hunt.”

Biden has made restoring the independence of the Justice Department a core 2020 campaign promise, and he now aims to reinforce that principle in politics and policy.

“I have never once — not once — suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do as opposed to charging or not charging,” Biden said Thursday. “I’m being honest.”

The White House said the president was informed later in the evening of the 37 felony charges against Trump by a Miami grand jury through news reports that Trump announced he had been subpoenaed on Tuesday.

Asked Friday whether he had spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland about the case, Biden responded curtly.

“I haven’t spoken to him at all,” he told reporters in the Rockies. “I won’t talk to him.”

To complicate matters further, Biden faces an investigation by his own special counsel into classified documents discovered at his home and former office. The situation is markedly different: Unlike Trump, Biden voluntarily returned the documents to the federal government. Meanwhile, the president’s son Hunter is facing an ongoing Justice Department investigation into his finances and his purchase of firearms after taking illicit drugs.

Republicans defending Trump have tried to accuse Biden of directing the prosecution or accusing the Justice Department of applying a double standard in its prosecution.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called the indictment of Trump a “gross injustice” and promised House Republicans “will hold accountable for this brazen weaponization of power.”

The White House is pushing back against the idea of ​​any political interference prosecutions.

“Look, this is a president who respects the rule of law and has said so from day one,” White House principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton said Friday. “That’s exactly why we’re not here to comment. . He believes in respecting the independence of the Justice Department and protecting the integrity of its processes.”

Privately, Biden aides have expressed some glee at Trump’s plight — some wishing they were free to continue highlighting Trump’s alleged crimes and Republicans’ rush to defend him to the masses. Others are frustrated that Trump will once again steal the national spotlight and want to make sure that Biden is not drawn into the maelstrom.

Biden’s allies have been quietly told to keep a low profile on the matter and make sure they don’t inadvertently say things that would embroil the president in controversy.

Dezenhall likened the situation to then-President Richard Nixon’s comments on the Charles Manson trial and sparked fears it would prevent him from getting a fair trial.

“Imagine what would happen if someone who already had the support of 40% of the country was believed to be suffering a similar fate,” he added. “The White House is very keen on this kind of thing.”

Dezenhall said: “As damaging as the current indictment of Trump is, we’ve been hearing ‘they got him now’ since 2015. I’m not so sure, and you can bet smarter Democrats aren’t either. Too sure.” (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)