Former US President Donald Trump said this in a speech in Georgia on Saturday
Former US President Donald Trump has called the federal charges against him “ridiculous and baseless” in his first public appearance since the charges were announced.
A 37-count indictment made public Friday accuses him of keeping sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago property.
He said on Saturday that the allegation was “corrupt” FBI and “election interference” by the Justice Department.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Trump has been accused of mishandling hundreds of classified documents, including US nuclear secrets and military plans.
The indictment alleges the files were stored in a ballroom and shower at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago.
He was accused of lying to investigators and attempting to obstruct an investigation into the handling of documents.
These are the first federal charges against a former US president.
In a speech at the Republican National Convention in Georgia on Saturday, Mr Trump said: “They cheat, they are crooks, they are corrupt – these criminals cannot be rewarded, they must be defeated.”
Every time he flies over a “blue state” — controlled by Democrats — he’s subpoenaed.
He called the allegation a “hoax” by a “corrupt political establishment”. He said it was a “joke” and a “joke”.
Mr Trump, who is running for the White House again in 2024, has previously reacted angrily to the allegations, calling them a politically motivated “fraud”.
He said he had “nothing to hide” and had provided the documents “in the open”.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw the investigation, said, “We have a set of laws in this country that apply to everybody.”
As momentum begins to build towards the 2024 election, Mr Trump is scheduled to speak at 18:00 EDT (22) before heading to another Republican event in Greensboro, North Carolina, before speaking at the Republican convention in Columbus, Georgia. :00 GMT).
He is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Georgia could be a key battleground in the race for the White House, and Mr Trump’s loss to incumbent President Joe Biden in 2020 could also spell further legal danger for the former president.
Officials in the state are currently investigating whether Mr. Trump broke the law when he asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger to “find” the exact number of votes needed to vote in his favor.
