Fox News Outnumbered co-host Kayleigh McEnany sounded off this week over the “political optics” after former President Donald Trump was indicted again.
During a segment on Outnumbered, McEnany and the other co-hosts discussed Trump being indicted again by Special Counsel Jack Smith stemming from his investigation into the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
“If this indictment held, if a conviction was secured, what precedent, applying that retroactively, would have been set in those various circumstances? I think it is a troubling precedent indeed, But rounding this out, I think it’s important to look at what the American people see here when they look at Trump and Biden. I’m talking pure political optics. You look at President Trump, you see a guy with a 53.4 percent RealClearPolitics approval, or I should say that is what he is garnering among Republican voters at this point in time,” McEnany began.
“So, yes, that is true that for all intents and purposes, he looks like he is going on to be the nominee unless there is a big shakeup or polling change. So they see this individual who’s on his way there. They go back to last Wednesday, where you covered the Hunter situation, the plea deal breaks apart, there is this hidden phrase in the diversion agreement and the judge says this is not fair. Fast-forward to yesterday, Tuesday, and you see a second indictment against the former sitting president. You compare that to Biden,” she added.
McEnany continued: “This is his DoJ. And look, he says the DoJ’s independence. Let’s take him at his word. But optically, what you see is a president at the beach, a president going to dinner and a movie, a president at an Oppenheimer film, and when he walks out, the Politico Playbook says this: ‘Meanwhile, the only public statement from President Biden last night was in response to a shouted question from the pool. ‘It was compelling,’ he answered. The question was how he liked the movie ‘Oppenheimer.’’ So you see someone whose political opponent had been indicted as he enjoys dinner and a movie, and it is, at the end of the day, his Department of Justice piece.”
Co-host Emily Compagno jumped in and added: “That’s right. And the timeline, again, just to underscore, it’s so notable that every time the Hunter Biden situation, the corruption makes the headlines, an indictment seems to drop. June, July, August.”
WATCH:
According to Fox News, “This is the second federal indictment the former president faces out of Smith’s investigation. Trump, who leads the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, has already pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to his alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency.”
Trump faces several charges in that probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. Additionally, he was indicted on three additional counts as part of a superseding indictment issued in connection with the same investigation last week.
Trump is dacing a second federal indictment from Smith related to his alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency that were stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump faces several charges in that probe, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements.
Additionally, he was indicted on three additional counts as part of a superseding indictment issued in connection with the same investigation last week.
Last week, Smith filed a superseding indictment against Trump, which included new charges related to the willful retention of national defense information and obstruction. The prosecutors alleged that Trump and his aides were involved in instructing a staff member at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida to delete security camera footage deliberately. Smith alleged the action was taken with the intention of preventing the presentation of evidence to a federal grand jury.
Trump, however, denied the allegations categorically and said he ensured his legal team handed over any and all requested security footage unaltered.
