(By Brett Rowland, The Center Square) Former President Donald Trump made a fresh wave of criticisms Friday of the 37-count indictment filed against him and said the indictment should be withdrawn.
“They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom,” Trump said in a video message posted to his social media platform Friday afternoon. “They are not coming after me, they’re coming after you. I just happen to be standing in their way.”
Trump also said the indictment should be immediately withdrawn and he should get an apology.
Trump also criticized former United States Attorney General William Barr, who has spoken out about the indictment in the classified documents. Trump said Barr was being paid to say bad things about him and said that Barr was angry because Trump fired him.
“Virtually everyone is saying that the fake indictment is about election interference and should not have been brought,” Trump said. “Except Bill Barr, a disgruntled former employee and very weak person.”
Also on Friday, Trump’s attorneys in the documents case filed notice that they had gotten in touch with Litigation Security Group of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The former president’s attorneys had not asked the judge to dismiss the case as of Friday afternoon.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, made the order Thursday to speed up the process that involves attorneys being cleared to get access to the classified documents.
The Litigation Security Group “is a team of security specialists available to be detailed to the Court to serve as Classified Information Security Officers to assist in the handling and protection of classified information. These CISOs serve in a neutral capacity providing advice and assistance to the Court and the parties in the handling of classified information,” according to a U.S. Courts website.
Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a federal courthouse in Miami to 37 counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn’t have security clearance, and tried to get around the government’s efforts to get them back. He is charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information along with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal and false statements and representations.
Trump remains free on a recognizance bond without travel restrictions.
