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| - FACT CHECK: Viral Post Claiming John Thune Will Hold Up DOJ Appointments Following Trump’s Indictment Is False
A post shared on Twitter claims South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune purportedly said he would hold up any Department of Justice (DOJ) appointments until Attorney General Merrick Garland drops the “unjust” charges against former President Donald Trump.
#Breaking: Senator John Thune, the number two Republican in the Senate, said he will hold up any appointments to the Justice Department until Attorney General Merrick Garland drops the “unjust” charges against Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/6IXbWVTzOa
— Ray Loewe (@rloewe65) June 13, 2023
Verdict: False
There is no evidence Thune made the purported remark. Thune’s communications director denied the claim’s authenticity in both a Jun. 13 tweet and an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges accusing him of allegedly mishandling classified documents in a federal court in Miami Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. Included in the 37 charges are 31 counts alleging that Trump willfully held onto national defense information, Insider reported.
The Twitter post, viewed over 800,000 times, claims Thune purportedly said he would hold up any DOJ appointments until Garland drops the “unjust” charges against Trump.
Check Your Fact reviewed Thune’s website and verified social media accounts, and there is no statement matching the purported remark. Likewise, there are no credible news reports indicating Thune made the comment. In addition, neither the DOJ nor the former Republican President has publicly addressed the claim.
Ryan Wrasse, Thune’s communications director, denied the claim’s authenticity in a Jun. 13 tweet. “This is completely untrue,” Wrasse wrote.
Wrasse also reiterated the claim was false in an email to Check Your Fact.
“It’s false,” Wrasse said.
This is completely untrue.
— Ryan Wrasse (@RWrasse) June 13, 2023
Although the claim involving Thune is false, Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance released a video statement on Twitter saying he would hold up any potential DOJ nominees in light of Trump’s recent indictment. (RELATED: Did Donald Trump Say He Will Not Be Paying His Lawyers Until They Convince The DOJ To Drop His Indictment?)
“I think that we have to grind this department to a halt,” Vance said in his video statement. “Donald Trump is just one and the most recent example of the fact that Merrick Garland uses his department for political purposes.”
Vance’s move was praised by fellow conservatives, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz via Twitter.
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