Daniel Cameron defends Donald Trump after classified documents indictment

Kentucky Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron is standing by former President Donald Trump after his indictment on federal charges related to the handling of classified documents, suggesting he is only being targeted for partisan political purposes.

The dozens of counts in the federal indictment unsealed Friday charge Trump with violating eight federal statutes related to the handling of classified documents after he left the White House, including Espionage Act, and conspiring to conceal documents and obstruct justice.

Asked for his reaction to the indictment, Cameron issued a statement questioning why Democratic officials haven't been prosecuted over their handling of classified documents, saying “Kentuckians continue to be concerned about the political weaponization of government power.”

"Somehow, Donald Trump appears to always be treated differently than the Democrats," Cameron continued. "Joe Biden has mishandled classified information and so did Hillary Clinton. Where are those indictments? It appears there are two systems of justice: one for Republicans and one for Democrats.”

More: Donald Trump was indicted over classified documents. Why aren't Joe Biden and Mike Pence?

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith stated earlier Friday that “we have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone. Applying those laws, collecting facts, that’s what determines the outcome of an investigation.”

The indictment accuses Trump of concealing classified documents involving sensitive national security information, including a “plan of attack" and another with a map of a military installation, and sharing them with guests at his resort despite acknowledging they remain secret and classified. It also alleged he conspired to move some of the documents to hide them from his lawyer, the FBI and the grand jury.

Photos from the indictment show boxes of documents were stored on the stage of a ballroom and in a bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

As for Cameron's reference to Biden, classified documents were recently discovered at the president's former office in Washington, D.C., and his home in Delaware.

While Justice Department officials have not confirmed whether they will indict Biden, special counsel Robert Hur is leading an inquiry into those classified documents.

Biden’s personal lawyers were clearing out a former office at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in November 2022 when the attorneys found a “small number” of classified documents, about 10. Biden had used the office from 2017 to 2020.

Additional documents were discovered at Biden’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, in December and January.

After the classified materials were discovered at Biden's former offices, Biden’s attorneys immediately contacted the White House counsel’s office, according to Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president.

The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel has said a president is immune from prosecution while he is in office.

More: Donald Trump indictment unsealed: Detailing the charges the former president faces

Trump heavily criticized and repeatedly called for the imprisonment of Clinton during his 2016 presidential campaign against her, related to her use of a private email server while she was in office. The FBI concluded after a review of her emails in 2016 that it found no evidence of criminal actions by Clinton, the former secretary of state.

Classified documents were also recently found at former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home, though the Justice Department informed him this month that it will not pursue criminal charges over them.

In January, Pence’s attorney turned over about a dozen classified documents to the FBI. Federal officials later searched the home and removed another classified document, as well as six pages not marked as classified.

Pence agreed to the search, and his attorneys cooperated with federal officials without a warrant being issued. During a CNN town hall earlier this week, Pence said, “I had no business having classified documents in my residence, and I took full responsibility for it.”

Trump proclaimed his innocence of criminal charges in a video, statements and on social media.

"The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted," Trump said in the statement Thursday. "I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!"

More: Andy Beshear vs. Daniel Cameron: An early look at the showdown in Kentucky governor's race

Cameron is facing Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in Kentucky's race for governor this year after winning the Republican primary by a wide margin.

A key to Cameron's victory was his early endorsement by Trump last summer, with the former president renewing that endorsement days before the May 16 primary in a short speech over the telephone made available to supporters and reporters.

Trump won two blowout victories in Kentucky in both 2016 and 2020, and polls have shown his approval rating remains high in the Bluegrass State.

A spokeswoman for Beshear has not returned a request for comment on the indictment, nor have spokespersons for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — one of the Republican officials most criticized by Trump since January 2021, when McConnell blamed him for inciting the Capitol insurrection that month.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Donald Trump indictment: Daniel Cameron suggests double-standard