It's rare for the leader of the free world to be rendered silent, but President Joe Biden is clearly determined to say as little as possible about his predecessor Donald Trump's federal indictment.Biden's White House dodges questions about the matter. His campaign doesn't respond to them. And Biden himself wants nothing to do with it. "I have no comment on what happened," he told reporters Friday while in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.Video above: The White House press secretary declines to comment on Trump's indictmentThe reticence reflects the precarious and unprecedented situation in which Biden finds himself: Just as Trump is the first former president to be charged by the federal government, Biden is the first incumbent to have his own administration indict his chief political rival.While hardly unforeseen, Trump's indictment brought a fresh round of reminders throughout Biden world that the president does not want to be drawn into the drama with commentary of any sort. He's wary of providing fodder for Trump and his allies' efforts to portray the Justice Department as engaged in a politically motivated prosecution.Eric Dezenhall, a longtime crisis communications consultant, said Biden's cautious path was prudent."There are certain positions you take not because they are persuasive but because they do the least damage," he said. "Any syllable Biden or the White House team utters will be used in court and politically to validate the witch hunt narrative."Biden, who made restoring the independence of the Justice Department a central campaign promise in 2020, now aims to reinforce that principle as both a matter of politics and policy."I have never once — not one single time — suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do, relative to bringing a charge or not bringing a charge," Biden said Thursday. "I'm honest."Later that evening, the White House said, the president learned of the 37 felony counts filed against Trump by a Miami grand jury through news coverage of Trump's announcement that he'd been summoned to surrender on Tuesday.Asked Friday whether he had spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland about the case, Biden replied curtly."I have not spoken to him at all," he told reporters. "I'm not going to speak to him."Video below: Why was Trump Indicted and Not Biden, Pence or Clinton? Further complicating matters for Biden is that he faces his own special counsel probe into classified documents discovered at his home and former office. The circumstances were markedly different: Unlike Trump, Biden voluntarily returned the documents to the federal government.Meanwhile, the president's son, Hunter, faces an ongoing Justice Department probe into his finances and the purchase of a firearm while under the influence of illegal substances. Republicans defending Trump have already sought to accuse Biden of directing the prosecution, and they're alleging a double standard in how the Justice Department brings cases.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy calls the Trump indictment a "grave injustice" and has pledged that House Republicans "will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable."The idea that the case has a political slant rings true to nearly half of Americans.An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted over the weekend found that 47% of adults believe the charges in the documents case are politically motivated, compared with 37% who say they are not. Still, Americans are also more likely to say Trump should be charged than that he should not, 48% to 35%. Most Republicans said he should not be charged, and 80% of them believe the charges are politically motivated.The White House is pushing back against the idea of any political meddling in the prosecution. Aides steadfastly continued to not comment on the case when pressed several times on Monday."What I can say — and you've heard us say this over and over again — this is a president that respects the rule of law. This is a president that wants to make sure ... that the Department of Justice is truly independent," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. "He said that during the campaign he's restoring certainly the integrity of the Department of Justice. That is something that is important to this president."Privately, Biden aides express some satisfaction at Trump's predicament — and some wish they were free to pile on in highlighting Trump's alleged crimes and Republicans' rush to defend him to voters. There's also frustration that Trump will again steal the national spotlight and a desire to ensure Biden doesn't get sucked into the maelstrom.Speaking at a fundraiser Monday evening in New York, first lady Jill Biden ventured where her husband has not, criticizing Republicans for standing by Trump in the face of the indictment."My heart feels so broken by a lot of the headlines that we see on the news," she told donors. "Like I just saw, when I was on my plane, it said 61% of Republicans are going to vote, they would vote for Trump.""They don't care about the indictment. So that's a little shocking, I think," she added. Biden allies have been quietly told to keep a low profile on the matter, and to ensure they don't inadvertently say something that draws the president into the controversy.Dezenhall compared the situation to when then-President Richard Nixon commented on the Charles Manson trial and sparked concerns that it would prevent the defendant from getting a fair trial."Imagine what would happen if a guy who already has the support of 40% of the country was thought to be suffering a similar fate," the communications consultant added of Trump. "White Houses are very keen to this kind of thing."Said Dezenhall: "As devastating as this prosecution appears to Trump at the moment, we've been hearing 'They got him now' since 2015. I'm not so sure, and you can bet the smarter Dems aren't so sure either."___AP Director of Public Opinion Research Emily Swanson in Washington and AP writer Michelle Price in New York contributed to this report.

Donald Trump's legal problems appear to have escalated significantly on Thursday with federal charges over the retention of top secret documents, but investigators aren't done yet.The former president faces a string of inquiries in various states and venues as he campaigns for a second term in the White House. He's already been charged in a 34-count indictment in New York in a hush money case. The others include federal and state investigations into his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election and a civil case that threatens his ability to ever again do business in New York.Trump, a Republican, has denied any wrongdoing and says he is being targeted by Democrats trying to keep him from reclaiming the presidency in 2024.Here's a look at the top probes:Hush money schemeTrump became the first former U.S. president in history to face criminal charges when he was indicted in New York in March on state charges stemming from hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters.He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Each count is punishable by up to four years in prison, though it's not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted.Video below: Legal expert analyzes Trump indictment, arraignment in hush money caseThe counts are linked to a series of checks that were written to his lawyer Michael Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off porn actor Stormy Daniels, who alleged a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, not long after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron. Those payments were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didn't exist.The former president is next set to appear in court on Dec. 4, two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest.GeorgiaFor over two years, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia.She wrote in a letter to the county sheriff that she expects to announce any charging decisions between July 11 and Sept. 1. In a separate letter to a county Superior Court judge, she suggested that any indictments would likely come in August.The Democratic district attorney's investigation began shortly after the release of a recording of a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which the then-president suggested that Raffensperger could "find 11,780 votes" — just enough to overtake Democrat Joe Biden and overturn Trump's narrow loss in the state.But the investigation's scope broadened considerably after that, and Willis convened a special grand jury to hear testimony from witnesses including high-profile Trump allies, such as attorney Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and high-ranking Georgia officials, such as Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp.Prosecutors advised Giuliani and Georgia Republicans who served as fake electors that they were at risk of being indicted. The fake electors signed a certificate asserting Trump had won the election and declaring themselves the state's electors, even though Biden had won the state and Democratic electors had already been certified.A court filing in early May indicated that Willis had reached immunity deals with at least eight fake electors, suggesting they may be cooperating with authorities.The foreperson on the special grand jury indicated publicly that the panel had recommended multiple indictments. It's now up to Willis to decide whether to convene a regular grand jury and pursue criminal charges in the case.Trump and his allies have denied wrongdoing, and he has repeatedly described his phone call to Raffensperger as "perfect."2020 election and Capitol riotSpecial counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Trump's handling of classified documents, has also been leading a team probing efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the election that he falsely claimed was stolen.Federal prosecutors have been especially focused on a scheme by Trump allies to put forth a slate of fake presidential electors in key battleground states who falsely declared that Trump, not Biden, had won the 2020 election. They have issued subpoenas to a number of state Republican Party chairs.Federal prosecutors have brought multiple Trump administration officials before that grand jury for questioning, including former Vice President Mike Pence.In a sign of the wide-ranging nature of the investigation, election officials in multiple states whose results were disputed by Trump have received subpoenas asking for past communications with or involving Trump and his campaign aides.A House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol recommended that the Justice Department bring criminal charges against Trump and associates who helped him launch a wide-ranging pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.New York civil casesNew York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump and the Trump Organization, alleging they misled banks and tax authorities about the value of assets including golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits.That lawsuit could lead to civil penalties against the company if James, a Democrat, prevails. She is seeking a $250 million fine and a ban on Trump doing business in New York. Manhattan prosecutors investigated the same alleged conduct but did not pursue criminal charges.A civil trial is scheduled in state court for October.Video below: How key piece of Trump deposition likely led jury to find him liable of sexual abuseIn a separate civil case in federal court in New York, Trump was found liable in May of sexually abusing and defaming former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s. The jury rejected Carroll's claim that Trump had raped her in a dressing room.Trump was ordered to pay $5 million to Carroll. He has appealed and has adamantly denied her accusations.