Trump's indictment: Greater Cincinnati delegation mostly quiet

Few members of Congress who represent the Cincinnati region wanted to talk about the latest Donald Trump indictment for his role in what special counsel Jack Smith called "an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy."

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted former President Trump for conspiring to steal the 2020 election, including the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.

It's the third criminal indictment against Trump and the second federal indictment. A federal grand jury in June indicted Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump's campaign responded by accusing President Joe Biden of interfering with the election. "The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes," Trump's campaign said in a statement.

What The Enquirer asked

The Enquirer asked the four senators and four members of the House who represent areas of the Cincinnati region their reactions to Trump's indictment. The Enquirer also asked what consequences, if any, Trump should face for his refusal to accept the 2020 election results and the aftermath.

Only Rep. Greg Landsman, a Democrat from Mount Washington who represents Cincinnati, parts of Hamilton County, and all of Warren County, responded directly to The Enquirer's questions.

The office of Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican from East Walnut Hills, referred to the statement he released Tuesday, condemning the prosecution of Trump as politically motivated.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a Republican from Hillsboro who represents Clermont County, wrote back in an email that Wenstrup "is happy to provide a response, as long as it is guaranteed that the response is printed in full." Under journalism ethics, The Enquirer doesn't let sources dictate news coverage and can't offer special treatment to a particular elected official. The Enquirer received no response as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

Those who didn't respond:

• Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Garrison who represents Northern Kentucky;

• Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Troy who represents western Hamilton County and Butler County;

• Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland;

• Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green, Kentucky;

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Louisville.

Only Vance, Landsman and Massie have spoken publicly about Trump's third indictment.

Sen. J.D. Vance

Vance, in a statement released a little more than an hour after the indictment on Tuesday, called it a sham and blamed Biden.

"Joe Biden is indicting Donald Trump (again) because he's losing in this presidential race," Vance said in the statement. "He would rather throw Donald Trump in prison than face him at the ballot box."

The credibility of the legal system is being attacked, Vance said. After the previous federal indictment against Trump related to his handling of classified documents, Vance vowed to stall Biden's Justice Department nominees.

Legal experts have challenged the implications by some Republicans that Biden ordered the prosecution. The authority lies with federal prosecutors. In the federal charges against Trump, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith made the decision to indict Trump, not Biden.

Rep. Thomas Massie

Massie has endorsed Trump's primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Massie has leapt to the president's defense while also getting a plug in for his preferred candidate. He also blamed Biden for the prosecution.

"As Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly pointed out, the AG and DOJ work for the President as a fixture of the executive branch," Massie tweeted Tuesday. "They are not, nor have they ever been, an independent branch of govt. Biden has now shamefully criminally charged & indicted a political opponent twice."

Rep. Greg Landsman

Landsman directly responded to The Enquirer's questions. Among his takeaways from the indictment, Landsman said it's clear Trump knew he lost and "pursued unlawful, potentially criminal, efforts to stay in power."

"At the heart of this was his attempt to have Congress and the Vice President reject legal electors and his pursuit of fraudulent electors," Landsman said in an email.

What consequences should Trump face? That's up to a judge and jury, Landsman said. He wouldn't weigh in on that issue himself.

Trump's actions during the Jan. 6 riots were reprehensible, Landsman said.

"He’s pure chaos," Landsman said. "Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike want to return to normalcy. Most of us are working very hard to solve problems and make life better for people. We need to be done with this chaos and extremism."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How did Cincinnati's congressional delegation react to Trump's charges?