Coloradans have mixed feelings about former president Donald Trump’s latest indictment.
Trump is facing four federal counts for his alleged role in trying to overturn the legitimate 2020 presidential election results, which culminated in an attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th as Congress debated certifying the election results.
Democratic Rep. Jason Crow was with colleagues in the gallery above the House floor when the mob stormed the building.
“Trump’s third indictment marks another somber and serious day,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “In America, nobody is above the law, including a former President, and all are entitled to due process under the law.”
Crow also urged members of the public not to grow numb or look away from what happened at the U.S Capitol. “As Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, we have a responsibility to look hard at what happened on January 6 and work to ensure it never happens again.”
Fellow Democrat, Rep. Diana DeGette, served as one of the impeachment managers for Trump’s second impeachment trial.
“Trump attempted to overturn a free and fair election in a grave attack on our democracy,” she said. “This accountability is critical — especially when our very democracy is on the line.”
Freshman Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo focused on accountability. “This is a country of laws. No person — no matter their title, their net worth, their last name, their job — no one in this country is above the law," she wrote in an email.
Meanwhile many Republican House members came out in defense of Trump, including GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert. In one social media post she described the indictment as “politically-motivated.”
She wrote, “We've become completely accustomed to seeing President Trump indicted for ‘crimes’ while Joe Biden skirts the law every single day.”
Boebert sits on the House Oversight committee, one of several GOP-led committees investigating Biden and his administration. So far, none of the investigations have linked the president to any crimes.
In another X post Boebert wrote, “Equal justice under the law is DEAD in America. They aren't just going after President Trump, they are going after We the People!”
Boebert reiterated her ardent support for Trump for president in 2024 on both her personal and official X accounts.
Colorado’s Senate minority leader Paul Lundeen is worried about the broader implications of the move. He said the indictment puts the nation on a bad track and Biden’s Department of Justice was being weaponized.
“Justice should be blind and not favoring any political party or politician,” said Lundeen in a text message. “The attacks against political opponents and the blind eye turned to the son of the current president should alarm us all.”
Other Republicans were less supportive of the former president. Statehouse Rep. Matt Soper from Delta said while the indictment doesn’t necessarily change his opinion of Trump, he said he’s not sure if he’d vote for him should he become the GOP’s presidential nominee.
Still Soper was also critical of the indictment and concerned about what it could mean for the future of the country. Even though he thinks a lot of people will look at the evidence and agree there's probably a case against Trump.
“Yes, the government can probably go forward because the prosecutor's unlikely to seek an indictment unless they have evidence. But it just appears more like this is not what we do in American politics. ”
He is uneasy about the eventual consequences of the indictment.
“Certainly while no person is above the law,’ he said,”I definitely fear today will lead to long-term tit- for-tat revenge politics, which definitely will not be healthy for our nation.”
Soper said he actually thinks the indictment related to the classified documents Trump stored at Mar-a Largo is more troubling, calling the photographs “pretty alarming.”
“Stacks of boxes housed everywhere, the accusation that they were moving them at the last minute as the FBI was executing a search warrant. To me that is a little bit more serious. And trying to erase the security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago.”
Soper referred to the documents case as a completed crime.
Other Colorado Republicans were not inclined to weigh in on the latest Trump news. When CPRNews reached out to several lawmakers and officials they either didn’t respond to a request for comment, or declined to say anything, some said they hadn’t had time to review the indictment.
