The Nevada Republican Party, the state Assembly Republican Caucus and Northern Nevada’s Republican Congressman Mark Amodei called the action political persecution. Amodei went on to say he’d rather focus on addressing issues related to the Southern Border and inflation.
“The American people are fully capable of choosing the next President, and they can do so without this cheap, political circus,” Amodei said.
The spokesperson for Republican Governor Joe Lombardo said no comment.
Democrats, progressive groups, and Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford said this is a necessary step to ensure nobody, including the former president, is above the law. In a Twitter thread, Ford urged the public to remain calm and said calling the indictment political is a distraction.
“This is a bad faith argument meant to distract from the hard work done by law enforcement in uncovering evidence and securing this indictment,” Ford said.
The offices of Nevada’s two Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen did not respond to requests for comment.
Sondra Cosgrove, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada, said the indictment of a former president is unprecedented, and for any other candidate, it would be enough for them to not run.
“Normally, I would say it would be bad for someone who wants to run for president in the next election cycle to be indicted. This is not normal. However, because, the former president and people associated with his campaign are actually fundraising off of this right now,” Cosgrove said. “They’re on social media. They’re saying this proves there was a conspiracy against him. This proves there’s a witch hunt against him, that he’s under attack, his supporters need to send them money.”
Cosgrove said Trump’s campaigning also points to a weakening of political parties and their unified messaging. As for how Nevadans feel, she said many are preoccupied with the 2023 Nevada Legislative Session, which only happens every two years. Cosgrove expects a barrage of negative campaigning once the 2024 election is closer.
