Karl Rove criticized former President Donald Trump this week following the arraignment over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, warning that “America will pay a high price for the former president’s reckless petulance.”
Rove, a former top aide to former President George W. Bush, wrote in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that “America has been plunged into an unprecedented crisis by the indictment of Donald Trump.”
“The blame for this calamity rests solely on Mr. Trump and his childish impulse to keep mementos from his time in the Oval Office, no matter what the law says,” Rove said.
Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty in federal court to 37 counts related his alleged handling of the documents. The former president is accused of illegally retaining the nation’s classified Defense information and obstructing justice, among other allegations.
In March, Trump became the first former U.S. president to be criminally charged over allegations he falsified business records as part of hush money payments.
Rove this week warned the classified documents case against Trump “will further tear our country apart, as it has a heavy impact on the presidential campaign and—wrongly—undermines confidence in our justice system.”
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The former official accused Trump of knowing that the documents had not been declassified and were not his personal property. Trump has previously claimed he declassified documents.
Officials allege that he acknowledged some of the documents were classified, saying “this is still a secret,” according to the indictment against him. Presidents are considered to be responsible for classifying and declassifying material, though there is a process.
“Extreme as this situation is, it could easily have been avoided if Mr. Trump simply followed the law and left behind his precious keepsakes,” Rove said.
Trump has maintained his innocence following his arraignment. He told a group of supporters following his Tuesday court appearance the cases against him “will fail and we will win bigger and better than ever before.”
Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesperson, said in a statement to USA TODAY “Karl Rove has an opinion piece out? Does he advocate for more wars and more killing?”
Cheung did not provide additional comment, but his response appeared to reference Rove’s major political power as a top White House adviser at the beginning of the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War.
