GOP rep breaks with party leaders: 'Trump says a lot of things that aren’t based in reality'

Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) on Monday appeared to break with Republican leadership when discussing the four state and federal criminal indictments against Donald Trump, telling CNN’s Dana Bash that as an ex-prosecutor, he has “complete faith in the system” that brought charges against the former president.

Trump has been indicted in four separate cases: The Jan. 6 Insurrection case (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia), the classified documents case (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida), the Georgia election interference case (Georgia state court), and xtthe hush money case (New York state court).

Speaking at the South Dakota Monumental Leaders Rally on Sept. 8 — during which he received an endorsement from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — Trump suggested if he wins in 2024, he could direct the attorney general to indict his political opponents.

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“Remember it’s a Democrat charging his opponent — no one’s ever seen anything like it,” Trump told supporters. “That means if I win, and somebody wants to run against me, I call my attorney general and I say, ‘Listen! Indict him!’”

Asked about those comments on Monday, Joyce noted Trump has a penchant for spewing nonsense.

“Look, as we all know, President Trump says a lot of things that aren't based in reality,” Joyce said. “As a former prosecutor, I have complete faith in the system and that these cases have gone before grand juries and the grand juries have assessed them and produced indictments based upon the facts, the evidence and the law that exists in the state or federal jurisdiction in which these cases were brought forward — and I think those cases should run their course.”

Joyce’s remarks appear at odds with Republican leadership, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who last month claimed “[President Joe] Biden has weaponized government against his leading political opponent to interfere in the 2024 election” after Trump and 18 others were indicted in the Georgia election interference case.

READ MORE: Kevin McCarthy ready to move forward with Biden impeachment inquiry

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