WASHINGTON—Following the August 1 indictment of former president Donald Trump by a federal grand jury on four charges, Freedom House president Michael J. Abramowitz issued the following statement:
“The defining feature of American democracy has been its resilience in the face of crises and challenges over the course of its 250-year history. It is now being tested again through multiple criminal indictments of a former president and current presidential candidate, who has been accused of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“In this environment, elected officials and other public figures have an obligation to stand up for due process of law and the integrity of elections, to abide by the final judgments of the courts, to reject the demonization of law enforcement officials for fulfilling their duties, and to condemn political violence of any kind.
“The United States has traditionally been viewed as a beacon of democracy for the wider world. Only by rededicating itself to fundamental democratic principles will the country retain this lofty status, which is still of vital importance to the global struggle for human freedom.”
