As RedState reported (and as prior reports indicated), Donald Trump was indicted for a second time on Thursday, this time by the DOJ for alleged violations of the Espionage Act. That relates to documents that he took with him after leaving the White House.

The government’s chief piece of evidence is reportedly a tape of Trump discussing a national security document with Mark Meadows and his staffers during a Q and A for a book. The DOJ is accusing the former president of admitting on the tape that he knew the document was still classified. Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors are going to attempt to undercut Trump’s primary defense, which is that he declassified everything prior to leaving office. Then there is the obstruction of justice angle, which will likely play a prominent role in the charges when they are officially filed.

What’s actually on that tape and whether it contains what sources claim isn’t known yet, but conservatives are already on the march, reacting forcefully to the news of the indictment.

We live in a police state run by liberal filth. There’s absolutely no disputing this fact. The liberal filth running this country right now will burn this place, and its institutions, to the ground to preserve the corrupt garbage running this country.
Every Republican candidate… pic.twitter.com/Qmougzs6Y9

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) June 8, 2023

I like Bongino’s charge to all the Republican candidates. We do not know how this is going to play out. Will the judge overseeing the case ensure the trial takes place prior to the primary? Or will this drag on into the spring, possibly seeing Trump convicted and sent to jail while being the presumptive nominee? Either way, if Trump does become no longer viable to face Biden (fairness doesn’t even come into play at that point), every other Republican in the race must understand what time it is and be willing to take action if elected. Some candidates, such as Ron DeSantis have already said they will clean house on day one while others like Mike Pence have defended the DOJ and FBI. The latter is an untenable position at this point.

Sen. Josh Hawley also spoke out, lambasting Joe Biden for trampling the rule of law to benefit himself politically. If there’s any justice left to be had, it won’t play out like that, though.

Joe Biden has used his Justice Department to go after parents as “domestic terrorists,” to spy on Catholic parishes, to terrorize & harass prolife Christians – and tonight to indict his top political opponent, Trump. He has trampled the rule of law to benefit himself. He has led…

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 9, 2023

Others brought up the elephant in the room, which is the timing. The indictment was originally rumored to be happening next week, but after congressional members were briefed on the FD-1023 containing allegations of bribery against Joe Biden, Trump’s prosecution was apparently moved up.

On the same day that a story broke about a whistleblower alleging Joe Biden took a 5 million dollar bribe from Burisma in Ukraine, Biden's corrupt DOJ decides to indict Trump over BS charges.

Do you really think that's a coincidence?

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 9, 2023

DOJ indicts former President / candidate Trump SAME DAY DOJ/FBI restricts access to unnecessarily redacted Biden allegations And they wonder why ppl think there r two standards for justice

— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 9, 2023

That’s absolutely correct, and the Biden administration doesn’t care at all. They’ve gotten away with so much that they fear nothing. The DOJ will act at the behest of the president in a corrupt fashion and not even think twice about it. Who is going to hold them accountable? The press certainly won’t, as members of it are already lining up to defend the indictment.

So did the DOJ move up the indictment to cover for the big news about Biden? That’s almost a certainty, yet it doesn’t even matter as long as the current regime remains in place. That is why it is incredibly important that Republicans chart the surest path to victory in 2024. That’s the only way vengeance is possible. In the face of this trap laid out by the DOJ to scuttle GOP chances in the election, voters should play chess, not checkers. Bide your time, see how things play out, don’t make any rash decisions, and be ready to be ruthlessly strategic.