The White House has stated that President Joseph Biden is keeping his attention on other matters and is not paying close attention to the claims against previous President Donald Trump.
During Tuesday’s White House press conference, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden would continue to put Americans first.
The Biden office has been relatively quiet about his 2020 opponent and possibly 2024 opponent’s recent indictment.
Although Trump indicated on March 20 that he anticipated being prosecuted in Manhattan, Jean-Pierre reiterated that they do not comment on any active investigations.
After Bragg’s office confirmed the allegations on Friday, Biden told reporters he had nothing to say about Trump.
At Tuesday’s arraignment hearing, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s office released a 16-page indictment and a 13-page statement of facts.
According to the papers, Trump was indicted with 34 separate counts of making false statements in corporate filings.
Trump is accused in the charging documents of paying off witnesses intending to testify against him in exchange for their quiet, which allowed for falsifying these corporate records.
Lawyer Michael Cohen, who represented Trump then, has since pled guilty to campaign finance violations related to the incident. Bragg’s office contended that Trump had improperly categorized monthly reimbursement installments to Cohen as a continuing cost for legal services.
Jean-Pierre claimed that Biden is focused on furthering his initiatives, but she did admit that he has heard snippets of news about the Trump case.
White House No Comment Policy
Jean-Pierre insisted several times that she was sticking to White House policy and not making further statements.
At the White House press briefing, one reporter contrasted the administration’s repetitive comments about the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, with the Biden White House’s declared strategy of not remarking on the Trump case.
There has been a swarm of reports and inquiries to White House officials concerning the DA’s case after Trump wrote on Facebook Social earlier last month that he might be indicted.
In response, White House officials have been silent about the topic for the past few weeks.
There has been no response to the indictment from the Justice Department or Attorney General Merrick Garland.
While the Department of Justice passed on investigating Trump in connection with the alleged payments to Stormy Daniels, it established a special counsel to probe whether Trump mishandled confidential data and his actions after the 2020 election.
Bragg has been accused by Trump and his supporters of bringing a politically motivated prosecution against the ex-president.
Trump warned that the campaign to prosecute him might spark civil upheaval and possibly lead to bloodshed and damage even before Bragg’s office announced the allegations.
Although President Biden and his administration have been silent on the allegations against Trump, Biden did indicate on Monday that he is not worried about social upheaval due to the case.
Biden was asked if he was worried about unrest and replied that the NYPD could handle it.