'Profoundly disturbing': Hillary Clinton reacts to Republicans defending Trump over federal indictment

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hit out at Republicans for their defense of former President Donald Trump as he faces a federal indictment over the alleged mishandling of classified documents, calling their actions "profoundly disturbing."

Clinton, whose 2016 presidential bid hit the rocks in part due to a scandal surrounding her use of a private email server while serving as the nation’s highest diplomat, was asked about the Trump indictment unsealed last week and the Republican response to it.

A "Pod Save America" host asked about Republican comparisons to her email scandal, with Republicans noting that she was criticized for her handling of sensitive information, but not prosecuted. Republicans have alleged a politicized double standard when it comes to prosecutions of politicians. 

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"I do think it's odd let's just say to the point of being absurd how that is their only response," Clinton said. "They refuse to read the indictment, they refuse to engage with the facts — there’s nothing new about that."

Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to the 37 federal felony counts that stem from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into alleged improper retention of sensitive government documents. 

The indictment accused Trump of failing to comply with demands to return classified documents, including plans for a retaliatory attack on an unnamed foreign power. Other documents include defense and weapon capabilities of the U.S. and details of the U.S. nuclear program.

"The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods," the indictment said.

It also accused him of storing the documents in a bathroom and other places at the residence, and of showing off the documents to visitors.

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Trump, making remarks Tuesday night, slammed Smith as a "deranged lunatic," and slammed President Biden for having "his top political opponent arrested and charged." He said he had undergone "political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation."

Other Republicans, including 2024 candidates, have also alleged a double standard and noted controversies surrounding not only Clinton but also President Biden.

Clinton, speaking Tuesday, said that what Republicans "refuse to admit" is "this is on a track about him, not about anyone else, no matter how they try to confuse people and how much they try to raise extraneous issues."

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"And it's going to be fascinating I guess, in a bizarre and sad way to watch them spin themselves up," she said. "If you watched any of the news programs this weekend, their efforts to defend this man are truly beyond anything that I ever thought possible in our country."

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She also suggested that the indictment offered an opportunity for the Republican Party to make a break with Trump — who is leading 2024 Republican primary polling — but that they had not taken that opportunity.

"It is so profoundly disturbing how this could have been the break, this could have been the opportunity to say ‘thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us, we really appreciate it, but this is kind of serious and so we’re not going to continue to defend you,’" she said.

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"But no, they’re all in again… the psychology of this is so hard for me to fully grasp," she added.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.