Trump indictment emerges as central GOP concern at Utah special election debate

Simmering right-wing anger over the U.S. Justice Department's indictment of former President Donald Trump was on stark display at a Republican primary debate in Utah, where U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart's plans to resign prompted the governor to call a special election to fill his seat in the state's deeply conservative 2nd Congressional District.

Little daylight emerged between two Republicans vying to replace resigning U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart: former Republican National Committeeman Bruce Hough and Celeste Maloy, a former congressional attorney endorsed by Stewart.

But questions from right-leaning audience members in suburban Salt Lake City reflected how Trump — and the legal proceedings against him — continue to be an animating issue for voters.

North Salt Lake's Kathy Sorenson asked the candidates how they would work in Congress to remove what she called corruption with the federal government's major law enforcement agencies.

"We're talking about the Department of Justice and the FBI being out of control and very corrupt. We can all see it. I think it's very dangerous to our country," Sorenson said. "To me as a citizen, I'm extremely upset and concerned. They go after the Republican side and we can't do anything."

Concerns from Sorenson and several other voters came a day after Trump pleaded not guilty to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 election loss and days after he was indicted by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. The indictment, Trump's third this year, is the most serious he has faced to date, charging him with orchestrating a scheme to block the peaceful transfer of power.

Though Utah is one of the few states in which a federal race is underway in 2023, such questions could prove to be a...