Some of Trump's 2024 rivals have started to weigh in following news of a federal indictment against the former president.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis denounced on social media the "weaponization of federal law enforcement" and said that a "DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement to ABC News that the criminal proceedings are a "major distraction" and "reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign."

"With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time, our country finds itself in a position that weakens our democracy," Hutchinson said. "Donald Trump's actions -- from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law -- should not define our nation or the Republican Party. This is a sad day for our country."

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told PBS that if Trump "committed a crime and there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to prove that crime, then he must be charged," and that not doing so would set the rule of law in the U.S. back.

Christie later tweeted, "We don't get our news from Trump's Truth Social account. Let's see what the facts are when any possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were. We will have more to say when the facts are revealed."

Sources tell ABC News that former President Trump faces at least seven charges in the federal indictment:

-Willful retention of national defense information (maximum penalty if convicted: 10 years)
-Conspiracy to obstruct justice (maximum penalty: 20 years)
-Withholding a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years)
-Corruptly concealing a document or record (maximum penalty: 20 years)
-Concealing a document in a federal investigation (maximum penalty: 20 years)
-Scheme to conceal (maximum penalty: Five years)
-False statements and representations (maximum penalty: Five years)

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, John Santucci and Alexander Mallin

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called news of Trump's federal indictment "unconscionable" and said House Republicans will "hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable."

The speaker is the first of the Big Four to comment on Trump's second indictment.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

With former President Donald Trump now facing a second indictment, this time on federal charges, according to sources, it's a turn of events that could shake up the Republican primary field as Trump makes a third run for the White House.

The aftermath of Trump's first indictment in New York connection to an alleged hush money scheme could be an indication of what is to come. Before his first indictment, Trump pledged to continue on with his presidential bid despite charges and even argued that cases could give his campaign a boost. Trump wasn't wrong.

In fact, he still outpaces his GOP rivals in recent polling.

Another boon to his campaign, the fact that Republicans by and large rallied around him after his first indictment -- even most of those challenging him in the Republican presidential primary.

But the field of candidates is more crowded now, comprised of more candidates willing to clearly criticize Trump.

Read more of ABC News' analysis here.

-ABC News' Averi Harper

The indictment alleged that, after the FBI subpoenaed former President Donald Trump, he "endeavored to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued retention of classified documents by" actions including: suggesting his attorney falsely tell the FBI and grand jury that he didn’t have documents responsive to the subpoena; directing aide Walt Nauta to move boxes of documents to conceal them from Trump’s attorney, the FBI and grand jury; and causing a false certification to be submitted to the FBI and grand jury saying all documents were provided "while knowing that, in fact, not all such documents has been produced."

The indictment noted that between January 2021 and August 2022, Mar-a-Lago hosted more than 150 social events, including weddings and fundraisers "that together drew tens of thousands of guests."

The indictment mentions five of Trump’s statements in 2016, when still a candidate for president, including when he said in August 2016 that "in my administration I’m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information."

According to the indictment, on June 2, an attorney for Trump went through the boxes in the storage room, removed 38 documents with classified markings, placed them in a redwood folder and sealed it with clear duct tape.

Trump allegedly asked, "Did you find anything?…. Is it bad? Good?" and they discussed what to do with the documents, according to prosecutors.

Trump's attorney said at that point Trump "made a funny motion as though- well okay why don't you take them with you to your hotel room and if there’s anything really bad in there, like, you know, pluck it out. And that was the motion that he made. He didn't say that."

According to the indictment, Trump and Nauta misled one of the Trump attorneys by moving boxes that contained documents with classified markings so that the attorney would not find the documents and produce them to a federal grand jury.

The indictment details how Nauta allegedly lied to FBI agents in May 2022 when he claimed to have no knowledge of the classified documents being brought to Mar-a-Lago.