During a recent episode of Fox News’ “Outnumbered,” co-host Kayleigh McEnany shared her views on the “political optics” following the recent indictments against former President Donald Trump.
Discussing Trump’s indictment by Special Counsel Jack Smith in connection with the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, McEnany and her fellow co-hosts delved into the potential implications.
McEnany began by stating, “If this indictment holds up and a conviction is secured, the precedent it sets could be troubling when applied retrospectively to various situations. But looking at the bigger picture, we need to consider the political optics that the American people perceive when they compare Trump and Biden.”
Referring to Trump’s approval ratings and potential nomination, she continued, “Trump is currently enjoying a 53.4 percent approval among Republican voters, which positions him as the presumptive nominee unless there’s a significant shift in polling. When you juxtapose this with recent events, like the Hunter Biden situation and the subsequent indictment against the former president, and compare it with Biden’s actions, the contrast becomes evident.”
McEnany elaborated, “Biden’s Department of Justice is involved here. He talks about the DOJ’s independence, and we should take his word for it. However, the optics show a president at leisure—beach trips, dining out, attending a movie premiere. Meanwhile, he responds casually to questions about a movie while his political opponent faces indictment. It’s hard to ignore the optics of his DOJ’s involvement.”
Co-host Emily Compagno added, “Absolutely, and the timing is noteworthy. Every time the Hunter Biden situation surfaces, an indictment appears shortly afterward. This pattern in June, July, and August is quite striking.”
This marks the second federal indictment arising from Smith’s investigation against the former president. Trump, the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, has already pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to allegations of improper retention of classified records from his presidency.
The charges against Trump include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. Furthermore, a superseding indictment was issued last week, adding three more counts related to the same investigation.
Another superseding indictment was recently filed by Smith, including fresh charges of willful retention of national defense information and obstruction. The prosecution alleges Trump and his aides instructed the deletion of security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago to obstruct evidence presentation to a grand jury. Trump refutes these allegations, asserting that his legal team provided security footage unaltered upon request.
