This is what Trump said in Bedminster speech Tuesday
BEDMINSTER — On Tuesday night, after he returned to New Jersey from his arraignment in federal court in Miami, former president Donald Trump spoke to supporters at Trump National Golf Club.
After appearing on a 37-count indictment related to his handling of classified documents after he left the White House, Trump flew back to Central Jersey for a fundraiser that had been scheduled before news of the federal charges broke last week. Trump offered remarks — fueled by grievance and vowing retribution — before the planned reception.
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In a speech that ranged from attacking his special prosecutor to attacking his political opponents on the other side of the aisle, Trump spoke for just less than 30 minutes.
Here is some of what he said:
'Under the Presidential Records Act, I had every right to have these documents.'
Trump referred to the Presidential Records Act of 1978, which lays out what the president can and cannot do with his documents, both when he is in and out of office. The law states that, once a president is out of office, the National Archives and Records Administration is responsible for any presidential records.
'Hilary Clinton broke the law and did not get indicted ... Joe Biden broke the law and so far has not gotten indicted. I did everything right and they indicted me.'
Grievance was a constant theme throughout Trump's speech. Trump also spoke in length about former president Bill Clinton and claimed that he took presidential records after he left office as well. And Trump mentioned Hillary Clinton's email server.
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'The prosecutor is a thug. I call him "deranged Jack Smith'." '
Trump did not just limit his attacks to just his political opponents in his remarks in Bedminster. Jack Smith is the special prosecutor in charge of investigating the federal documents case — and a pending federal investigation that is assessing Trump's involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
'They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedoms.'
This remark came at the end of Trump's speech — and played directly to his most devoted supporters, some of whom were in the crowd and attended a fundraiser for the former president after his speech.
Email: sdimaggio@mycentraljersey.com
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Donald Trump indictment: What he said in Bedminster speech
