Zach Nunn declines to weigh in on Trump Jan. 6 indictment, says Iowans can ask Trump about it

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn declined to weigh in Wednesday on the latest indictment of former President Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election, saying Iowans will have the chance to ask Trump about the allegations.

Asked what he thought of the charges, the first-term Republican congressman said Iowans have a unique role in vetting presidential candidates because of the state's first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest.

"We’re excited to be able to host everybody. I’m thrilled that all of the candidates are coming here," Nunn told reporters Wednesday morning. "I think we’re going to have the opportunity to probably ask the president those questions when he comes out to the Iowa State Fair. So I’ll leave it at that for now."

More: GOP presidential candidates shy away from Trump indictment but call for overhauling FBI, DOJ

Nunn and Iowa's other top Republican elected officials have been more reluctant to weigh in following the latest indictment of Trump — the third this year. That's a contrast from earlier Trump indictments, when Iowa Republicans jumped to the former president's defense.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges he faces in three separate criminal cases. He is set to return to Iowa on Saturday for a visit to the Iowa State Fair as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley on Tuesday also declined to weigh in on the new charges.

"I think that the best thing for anybody that wants to abide by our constitution is to let the judicial system play out and not to make any particular comments one way or the other on the subject because it's probably political punditry, and I'm not much of a pundit," Grassley said.

Grassley was serving as president pro tempore on Jan. 6, 2021, the third in line to the presidency. Asked about Trump five days after the attack on the Capitol, Grassley told reporters "there's very little opportunity for him to lead the Republican Party."

"I just stand by my statement that I made at the time," Grassley said Tuesday.

More: Trump to visit Iowa State Fair with Florida Republicans who endorsed him over Ron DeSantis

Ashley Hinson, Joni Ernst say Jan. 6 indictment of Trump is political

Only U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, weighed in on the day of Trump's indictment.

"Another Biden scandal, another Trump indictment — just like clockwork," Hinson wrote on social media Tuesday shortly after the indictment was announced. "We must stop this unAmerican politicization of the judicial system."

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst expressed skepticism about the indictment when speaking to Raccoon Valley Radio on Aug. 6.

"So as I look at this latest indictment, it just really doesn’t seem to be a lot of substance there," Ernst told the radio station. "And (Special Counsel) Jack Smith, he will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump did all of these things as outlined in the indictment. And I think he’s got a big uphill battle. This, to me, seems very politically motivated."

Zach Nunn calls mishandling classified information 'a grave threat to our national security'

In a separate federal case, Trump also faces charges of mishandling classified documents after he left office.

Nunn pointed to his background as an intelligence officer, saying he believes mishandling classified information is "a grave threat to our national security."

"Both President Biden and President Trump look like they have potentially mishandled classified information," Nunn said. "That puts men and women who are on the front line of collection at risk and that needs to be taken seriously."

A special counsel is investigating President Joe Biden over classified documents found at his former Washington, D.C., office and his Delaware home. The White House has said the documents found at Biden's properties were returned as soon as they were found by the president's lawyers.

Trump faces 40 counts in the classified documents case against him, including willfully retaining national defense information, withholding documents in a federal investigation, making false statements, altering or destroying an object and conspiracy to obstruct justice after he allegedly directed another person to delete security camera footage so it could not be shown to a grand jury.

"To me, classified information is exactly that," Nunn said. "It is a top-secret, classified document that if compromised would present an immediate and grave risk to national security. Anyone who violates that trust needs to be held accountable."

Trump also faces charges related to hush money payments to women who said they had sex with him before the 2016 election.

Des Moines Register reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed reporting.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Zach Nunn, Chuck Grassley decline to comment on Trump Jan. 6 indictment