Administration

Trump says he ‘can’t imagine’ being indicted, argues it wouldn’t deter running again

Former President Trump on Thursday said he “can’t imagine being indicted” over his handling of classified documents or a scheme to put forward alternate electors after the 2020 election, but that if he were, it would not deter him from a possible White House run in 2024.

“I can’t imagine being indicted. I’ve done nothing wrong,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

“I don’t think the people of the United States would stand for it,” Trump added. “And as you know, if a thing like that happened, I would have no prohibition against running. You know that.”

Trump in the interview claimed he had no involvement in a plot to put forward alternate electors in Georgia that would have tipped the state for him despite President Biden winning by thousands of votes, though he insisted the concept was “very common.”

Georgia prosecutors have been investigating the scheme and interviewing Trump associates like Rudy Giuliani in the matter.

The former president also repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents after the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago estate last month. The agency conducted the search months after it found dozens of classified documents at the residence and unsuccessfully tried to get the materials back from Trump.

Trump reasserted his claim that he had declassified all of the documents he kept at his home more than a year after leaving the White House, though experts have disputed he could do so without going through a more formal process and Trump’s legal team has not argued in court that he declassified the materials.

“There is no reason that they can [indict], other than if they’re just sick and deranged, which is always possible, because I did absolutely … nothing wrong,” Trump said Thursday.

The former president repeatedly said he does not believe the American public will accept him being indicted, warning there would be “problems” if he were.

Hewitt, noting some would interpret his comments as inciting violence, asked what kind of problems he was referring to, though Trump did not specify.

“That’s not inciting, I’m just saying what my opinion is,” Trump said. “I don’t think the people of this country would stand for it.”