[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 102 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2793-H2794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     INDICTMENT IS DEEPLY TROUBLING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Meuser). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NICKEL. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow former President Donald Trump will 
be arraigned in Federal court in Miami. He has been indicted on 37 
different felony charges, including false statements and 
representations, scheme to conceal, concealing a document in a Federal 
investigation, corruptly concealing a document or record, withholding a 
document or record, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and 31 counts of 
willful retention of national defense information.
  Mr. Speaker, I read the incredibly detailed and evidence-based 
indictment, and it is deeply troubling and disturbing, to say the 
least. These charges show a complete and total disregard for the 
national security of the United States. The former President's actions 
compromised the lives and safety of U.S. military personnel around the 
world.
  No one is above the law, and anyone who undermines U.S. national 
security must be held to answer for their actions. Mr. Speaker, he had 
our nuclear secrets stashed away in boxes in his bathroom.
  Listen, I am here on the floor today because prodemocracy Republicans 
in North Carolina's 13th District rejected extremism and sent me to 
Washington because I ran to protect our democracy and our rule of law. 
This is about our rule of law.
  Mr. Speaker, as the American people try to make sense of these 
indictments, I think we should listen to the comments from Republicans 
who served in the Trump administration and other leading Republicans.
  John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor in the Trump 
administration said: ``The indictment is devastating. Those who 
defended Trump before the charges were made public or those who have 
not yet spoken, should very carefully weigh how history will consider 
their statements.''
  Mick Mulroy, a senior Pentagon official in the Trump administration, 
said: ``The classified documents described in the indictment are some 
of the most sensitive information we possess. . . . This type of 
information should never be removed from a secured facility and once 
discovered should have been immediately returned.''
  Bill Barr, who served as Attorney General in the Trump administration 
said: ``If even half of it is true, then he is toast. It's a very 
detailed indictment, and it's very, very damning. And this idea of 
presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt, is 
ridiculous.

[[Page H2794]]

  ``He is not a victim here. He was totally wrong that he had the right 
to have those documents. Those documents are among the most sensitive 
secrets the country has.''
  Asa Hutchinson, former Bush administration official, former Governor 
of Arkansas, said: ``Donald Trump's actions--from his willful disregard 
for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law--should not 
define our Nation or the Republican Party.''
  Mitt Romney, the junior Senator from the State of Utah said: ``Mr. 
Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified 
documents, but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous 
opportunities to do so.
  ``These allegations are serious and if proven, would be consistent 
with his other actions offensive to the national interest, such as 
withholding defensive weapons from Ukraine for political reasons and 
failing to defend the Capitol from violent attack and insurrection.''
  Mr. Speaker, we are a nation of laws. No one is above the law in the 
United States of America. No one is entitled to keep top secret 
national security documents. The documents in this case are among the 
most secret we have in this country--nuclear secrets. We need to know 
just how much the careless and cavalier storage of these documents has 
compromised our Nation's national security.
  I came to Congress to get things done for the people in my district, 
and I have been glad to build relationships with my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle. We should work in a bipartisan way whenever we can, 
but if we are going to truly heal as a country, we need to hold people 
accountable.
  As a lawyer, I know allowing this process to play out in a court of 
law and ensuring a fair and impartial trial is critically important. 
However, this is already a sad and somber moment in our Nation's 
history. Democracy should never be taken for granted. We must be 
vigilant and proactive to protect it.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, history will remember those who defend this 
lawless behavior, and it will not be kind.

                          ____________________