OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Republicans on Friday began sounding the alarm over an event that occurred just hours before President Joe Biden’s Justice Department informed his chief 2024 rival that he was going to be indicted over his handling of classified documents.
Trump announced late on Thursday that he has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges connected to his handling of classified materials that were found at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last August.
“The former president faces at least seven charges, sources tell ABC News, which include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, a scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations,” ABC News reported.
“Maximum sentences for the respective charges, per their statutes, range from five up to 20 years, although any eventual sentence should Trump be convicted would likely be much lower,” the outlet added.
“Any eventual sentence should Trump be convicted would likely be much lower,” ABC noted in its report.
Several Republicans, however, questioned the timing of the indictment. Earlier in the day, several House Republicans finally got a look at an FBI document that has been under subpoena for weeks, purportedly providing evidence of a bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden.
As reported by Fox News, sources told the outlet that “Biden was allegedly paid $5 million by an executive of the Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, where his son Hunter Biden sat on the board, a confidential human source told the FBI during a June 2020 interview.”
“The sources briefed Fox News Digital on the contents of the FBI-generated FD-1023 form alleging a criminal bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national that involved influence over U.S. policy decisions,” the outlet continued.
The FD-1023 form, dated June 30, 2020, contains an interview conducted by the FBI with a confidential source deemed “highly credible.” The source provided details of numerous meetings and conversations held with a senior executive from Burisma spanning several years, beginning in 2015. Although Fox News Digital did not directly review the form, its contents have been described by multiple reliable sources familiar with its details, the outlet reported.
According to the contents of the form, the confidential human source reported that the Burisma executive engaged in discussions regarding Hunter Biden’s position on the board. The source questioned the need for the Burisma executive to seek advice in gaining access to U.S. oil, considering Hunter Biden’s position on the board. In response, the Burisma executive referred to Hunter Biden as “dumb,” Fox News noted.
“The SAME DAY @GOPoversight is shown a document by the FBI showing evidence that Biden and his son were each paid $5 million dollars by a foreign national the DOJ indicts Trump. Coincidental? I think not,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) tweeted.
The SAME DAY @GOPoversight is shown a document by the FBI showing evidence that Biden and his son were each paid $5 million dollars by a foreign national the DOJ indicts Trump. Coincidental? I think not. pic.twitter.com/YdmbbAo6fX
— Anna Paulina Luna (@VoteAPL) June 8, 2023
Donald Trump Jr. offered a similar view.
“On the same day that a story broke about a whistleblower alleging Joe Biden took a 5 million dollar bribe from Burisma in Ukraine, Biden’s corrupt DOJ decides to indict Trump over BS charges. Do you really think that’s a coincidence?” Trump Jr. tweeted.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of the committee members who viewed the document, didn’t mince words about what she believes should happen next.
“This is an impeachable document. President Biden should be impeached. Secondly, he should be prosecuted. This is unbelievable. It’s a pay-to-play scheme. He took a bribe from a foreign national in a foreign country that paid millions of dollars,” Greene told the Daily Caller. “He needs to be prosecuted for this, and I would argue that he should serve jail time.”
