(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin offered a measured response Friday to news that former President Donald Trump has been indicted in a federal classified documents probe, saying Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
But the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat rejected the idea that the special counsel’s investigation into Trump is a misuse, or weaponization, of the Justice Department.
“No one is above the law, including an ex-president of the United States, but no one is presumed guilty,” Durbin said at an unrelated news conference. “You have your day court, and your attorneys will do their best to defend you. The government still has the larger responsibility of proving beyond a reasonable doubt. So, the folks who wanted to give just a knee-jerk reaction one way or the other, I don’t think are being honest about the system of justice in our country.”
Asked about what impact the indictment would have on Republican Trump’s attempt to run for re-election in 2024, Durbin said that remains to be seen.
“It’s hard to say. This is not the first charge against the former president and may not be the last. There are some who say he’s now the center of attention, which is exactly where he wants to be,” Durbin said. “He’ll be raising money on this, for certain.”
Trump also faces charges of financial crimes in New York.
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