‘No comment’: Biden maintaining silence on Trump indictment
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is staying silent about former President Donald Trump’s indictment by a New York grand jury.
Reporters asked Biden about the indictment multiple times as he left the White House early Friday for a trip to Mississippi.
“No. I’m not going to talk about the Trump indictment,” he said.
Asked again, Biden responded: “I have no comment on Trump.”
Biden has said nothing publicly about Trump’s legal troubles since the former president announced two weeks ago that he expected to face criminal charges.
Biden was informed of the indictment by White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, who learned about it through news reports “just like every other American,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-pierre told reporters traveling with the president aboard Air Force One.
The indictment injects an element of uncertainty into the 2024 presidential election, which could see a rematch between Biden and Trump. Trump has announced plans to run for a second term and has said he wouldn’t drop out of the race even if he was indicted. Biden is also expected to run again but hasn’t announced his plans.
A New York grand jury has voted to indict Trump on unspecified criminal charges in a case that marks the first time a former president has been charged criminally.
The grand jury had been investigating hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had sex with him.
The outline of those payments became public only after he was elected in 2016 and more details were revealed in sworn testimony as Trump served in the White House.
Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said Trump was expected in New York by Tuesday for arraignment.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, Kevin Johnson and Josh Meyer