Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) expressed support on Friday for the Justice Department's decision to indict former President Donald Trump in the classified documents matter.
The 45th president announced on his Truth Social platform Thursday evening that he had been indicted in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. He faces seven federal counts, though specifics on the charges are not confirmed. Swaths of GOP lawmakers immediately condemned the indictment, with many of Trump's closest allies going as far as backing calls to defund the DOJ and FBI. Romney, a staunch Trump critic, took a different approach.
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The Utah senator began the statement by acknowledging that Trump is "entitled to the presumption of innocence" and that prosecutors face "the burden of proving its charges beyond a reasonable doubt."
"By all appearances, the Justice Department and special counsel have exercised due care, affording Mr. Trump the time and opportunity to avoid charges that would not generally have been afforded to others," Romney 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," it continued.
Romney's reaction to the charges is in stark contrast with his response to Trump's Manhattan indictment earlier this year related to hush money payments. The Utah senator said when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump in late March that he believed "the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda."
"No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law," Romney said in his statement at the time. "The prosecutor’s overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public’s faith in our justice system."
Romney's shift in tone on the DOJ charges suggests there could be other Republicans, and certainly independents, who take issue with Trump's behavior in the documents matter.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith last November to lead the DOJ's investigations into Trump's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and his handling of classified documents. The war crimes prosecutor took over the investigations after Trump declared his 2024 presidential bid, leaving Garland in need of an apolitical investigator to handle such politically sensitive matters.
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Trump also faces legal exposure from an unrelated criminal investigation by Atlanta prosecutors. The Fulton County District Attorney's Office is examining the former president's attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his subsequent role in the Capitol riot. Charges in that case are expected later this year.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the hush money and documents matters and vowed to fight both sets of charges. He has also maintained his innocence in the state and federal investigations of his handling of his 2020 election loss.