Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on April 5 that the topic of former President Donald Trump facing criminal charges did not come up during a meeting with NATO allies.
“I don’t do politics. I can tell you, though, that the question you raised about the proceedings in New York actually did not come up in my conversations with NATO colleagues,” Blinken said.
“Nor did I get questions about the durability of our approach,” he added, addressing the reporter’s question on whether European allies had expressed concerns about the long-term stability of the United States in the face of polarization in U.S. domestic politics.
Ukraine
The meeting had an “intense focus” on helping Ukraine, including how the United States and its allies should bring the country “up to NATO standards, NATO interoperability,” according to Blinken.“We’re also looking at what we can do over a longer period of time to build up Ukraine’s capacity to deter aggression, to defend against aggression, and, if necessary again in the future, to defeat aggression,” Blinken said.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has spoken out publicly against the charges levied against Trump.
Congress
Trump’s arraignment has drawn mixed reactions from Congress.“To allow a president to break the law with impunity would set a dangerous precedent for American democracy, encouraging future presidents to do the same. May justice be served,” Castro said.
Reed added, “The information presented contains troubling actions by Donald Trump that includes falsifying business records in the furtherance of other crimes.”
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), who sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, called the case a “political witch hunt to unjustly attack” Trump, according to a statement.
“Bragg has brought trumped-up charges that baselessly claim there was intent to commit another crime without naming that crime to turn these charges into felonies,” Lesko wrote.She added, “This is a sham indictment meant to score political points and weaponize our judicial system to help Democrats win another election.”
“I have spent my life in the law, I hold our justice system in the highest regard,” Lee wrote. “This isn’t justice, solemnly and blindly carried out.
“This is using the law to selectively punish for political gain. It is a disgrace and will profoundly change our country for the worse.”