Congressional Republicans are rallying behind former President Donald Trump calling news of his most recent federal indictment politically motivated and characterizing the criminal justice system as corrupt.

The 45th president posted on his Truth Social social media site on Thursday evening, announcing that he had been federally indicted in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified records at his Florida resort home of Mar-a-Lago. Trump faces a federal indictment of seven counts on federal charges in relation to his handling of classified information while out of office, though it was not immediately clear what exactly the charges entail. Trump said he had been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) took to Twitter about an hour after the news calling the development a "dark day for the United States of America."

"It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades," McCarthy tweeted.

"I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable," he added.

After Trump was indicted in April, House Republicans argued the probe led by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney investigating hush money paid on Trump's behalf to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, was politically motivated. House Judiciary Committee Republicans attempted to kick off their own probe and sent Bragg a letter demanding documents, communications and testimony related to his investigation of the former president. However, Bragg did not cooperate with their investigation.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), a critical ally of the President, tweeted minutes after the announcement came out, even though the charges have not yet been revealed.

“The same DOJ that labeled parents questioning school boards as ‘domestic terrorists’ are now doing everything in their power to stop @realDonaldTrump from retaking the White House,” Tuberville tweeted. “The Biden Administration is the most corrupt in American history.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who has stood loyally behind the former President, tweeted “Sad day for America. God Bless President Trump.”

Republicans also seized on the federal indictment to air broader conservative concerns about the “weaponization” of the legal and criminal justice systems. In response to the federal indictment, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) called to abolish the “corrupt” FBI and Justice Department.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is running in the Republican primary against former President Trump also appeared to defended him, and seemed to endorse the belief that justice system had been weaponized against him during an appearance on Fox News.

“What we have seen over the last several years is the weaponization of the Department of Justice against the former President. You do not have to be a Republican to see injustice and want to fix it. You don’t have to be a Democrat to see injustice and want to fix it. You just have to be an American and stand up for the right thing,” Scott said during the brief Fox News appearance on Thursday evening.

“I don’t care whether you’re in my party or not in my party. I don’t care if you look like me or not. The one thing that makes America the city on the Hill is confidence in the Justice system. And today, what we see is a justice system where the scales are weighed.”

Some of Trump’s other Republican backers in the Senate conveyed similar messages on Twitter Thursday evening. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) accused President Biden of using his Justice Department to go after “his top political opponent.”

“He has trampled the rule of law to benefit himself,” Hawley tweeted. “He has led the country into profound danger.”

Some Republicans are highlighting that the federal indictment against Trump comes after GOP House Oversight Committee members viewed documents from the FBI that contained allegations from an informant that an executive at Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company paid millions to Joe Biden and his son Hunter in an alleged “criminal bribery scheme.” Sen. Bill Haggerty (R-TN) called it a prime example of a “two-tiered Justice system.”

“The Biden DOJ buries investigations of President Biden and his family while it charges his political rivals. Making America look like a banana republic is incredibly irresponsible,” Haggerty said in a tweet.

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) took it a step further and called the indictment “election interference,” using rhetoric that echoed the former President’s false claims of widespread election fraud in the build up to the Jan. 6 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

Some Republicans have been quick to compare Trump’s classified documents case with the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails when she used a personal email server during her tenure as secretary of state. The FBI ultimately did not charge Clinton, with then-Director James Comey noting that charges typically come in cases with “clearly intentional and willful mishandling of classified information; or vast quantities of materials exposed in such a way as to support an inference of intentional misconduct; or indications of disloyalty to the United States; or efforts to obstruct justice.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said on Twitter that he has completely lost trust in the DOJ.

“The DOJ needs to come out tonight & explain how this is somehow different than what Hillary did. What Biden did,” Scott said.

Not all Republicans are coming to the former President’s aid. Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson responded to reports that federal prosecutors notified former President Trump that he is the target of an investigation on Thursday, saying he should “step aside” in the 2024 race for the White House.

“The @GOP should clarify that there is no pledge to support a nominee if they are found guilty of espionage or a serious felony,” Hutchinson, a former Arkansas governor, tweeted late Thursday. “Donald Trump is the target of an ongoing criminal investigation and he should step aside & put the good of the country above his candidacy.”

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) have not responded to the latest indictment. The top two Republicans in the upper chamber have made no secret about their desire to move past the former president, a stark contrast to McCarthy, who has embraced Trump and even credited the former president for helping him secure the speaker’s gavel.

Congressional reporter, Emily Jacobs contributed to this report