Biden’s Silence on Trump’s Federal Accusation: The Precarious Situation of a President Accusing his Main Political Rival

Biden Resolves to Say Little about Trump’s Federal Charge

President Joe Biden has chosen to remain silent about the charge leveled against his predecessor, Donald Trump, by the federal court, as he attempts to avoid becoming embroiled in the drama. The White House has been deflecting questions about the charge, and Biden himself is reticent to say anything about the matter. This is the first time in US history that a sitting president’s administration has indicted his primary political rival, given Trump is the first former president to face such charges.

Biden Balances Politics and Justice

While the action against Trump was not unexpected, it has put Biden’s supporters on notice that he is unwilling to make statements that will draw him into the fray. Biden is cautious about fueling accusations, made by Trump and his allies, that the Justice Department is practicing political persecution. According to Eric Dezenhall, a crisis communications consultant, Biden is being prudent as the crisis continues to unfold.

Biden’s central campaign promise was to restore the independence of the Justice Department, which he now wants to reinforce both as a political and practical matter. Republicans seeking to defend Trump have accused Biden of spearheading the charge. They claim that the Justice Department is presenting cases with double standards. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called Trump’s impeachment a “grave injustice” and vowed that House Republicans “will hold accountable this brazen use of power as a weapon.”

Survey Shows Disbelief in Political Neutrality of the Charge

The idea that the case is politically biased is not implausible to almost half of Americans. A weekend survey of ABC News/ipsos found that 47% of adults believe the charges are politically motivated, as opposed to 37% who say no. Most Americans favor Trump’s impeachment, with 48% for impeachment and 35% against. The majority of Republicans said he should not be charged, with 80% of them believing that the charges are politically motivated.

White House Asserts President’s Respect for Rule of Law

The White House denies exerting any political influence over the prosecution. Officials have refused to comment on the case despite multiple inquiries. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the President respects the rule of law and wants the Department of Justice to remain independent. Privately, some of Biden’s aides welcome Trump’s discomfort and wish to highlight his wrongdoing and the Republican efforts to defend him, but they don’t want Biden to be ensnared in the situation.

Biden Treads Carefully

Dezenhall compared Biden’s reluctance to comment to former President Nixon’s remarks on Charles Manson’s trial. While the impeachment appears devastating for Trump at present, the most astute Democrats aren’t entirely sure. Biden’s allies have been advised to lie low and avoid inadvertently making comments that drag him into controversy. First Lady Jill Biden, on the other hand, spoke out against Republicans for supporting Trump in the impeachment.

“My heart is so broken by a lot of the headlines we see on the news,” she told donors. “As I just saw, when I was on my plane, it said 61% of Republicans would vote, vote for Trump.”

“They don’t care about the accusation. So that’s a bit of a shock I think,” she added.

Dezenhall, who is a crisis communications consultant, noted that Biden is taking a cautious approach as this kind of thing could be disastrous for Biden’s administration. He concluded by saying: “As devastating as this impeachment seems to Trump right now, we’ve been hearing ‘They got him now’ since 2015. I’m not so sure, and you can bet the smartest Democrats aren’t either. .”

(With information from AP)