Republicans warn of major battle with Democrats if Trump indicted

The expected indictment of former President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of a fight over funding for the Justice Department if the GOP wins the Midterm Elections.

Republicans expect Attorney General Merrick Garland to peruse an indictment of Trump — most likely within 60 to 90 days after Election Day.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said in an interview with The Hill that GOP lawmakers will use their power of the purse to reign in Garland’s department if it moves forward with the indictment of Trump.

“If Biden treats the Department of Justice as partisan stormtroopers, then Congress is justified in using whatever tools Congress has to stop that abuse of power,” Cruz said.

The Texas Republican said any indictment of the former president would serve as more evidence that the Justice Department has let partisan politics dictate its decision-making.

“The Biden White House wants to indict Donald Trump and they want to put whatever fig leaf in front of them they can to make it appear slightly less partisan,” Cruz said.

Sen. Ron Johnson said if Republicans win control of the Senate, one of his top priorities will be to investigate the “corruption and politicization of federal law enforcement and our intelligence agencies.”

Voters will cast their ballots on Tuesday to determine the next makeup of Congress.

Former Sen. Judd Gregg also warned that the Republican backlash to an indictment against Trump will be “massive” and “overwhelming.”

Trump mulls launching fresh White House bid after midterm elections, say advisers

Former US President Donald Trump’s advisers have revealed his plans to launch a third bid for the White House this month while Trump himself teased a strong possibility of a comeback during a campaign rally in Iowa.

If an indictment of Trump does come before mid-December, Justice Department funding likely would become a political football as congressional leaders work to pass legislation to fund the government for the next year.

There are two different investigatory probes that could lead to indictments of Trump.

One is related to the documents taken from the White House and found at Mar-a-Lago, while the other concerns the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Following the final hearing of the congressional investigation into the riot, the Department of Justice has been urged to bring criminal charges against Trump.

Republican aids and strategists warned there’s a risk of political violence in response to any indictment against the former president.

In the meantime, reports said on Friday that Trump could announce a reelection bid as soon as Nov. 14.

An early Trump bid could be interpreted as a warning shot at Justice that any indictment of him as he runs for the White House would be political.

Trump threatened last month that if he is indicted, “you’d have problems in this country the likes of which perhaps we’ve never seen before.” 

“I don’t think the people of the United States would stand for it,” he said.

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