2024 GOP Presidential Candidates React to Reported Trump Federal Indictment

2024 GOP Presidential Candidates React to Reported Trump Federal Indictment
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, on Aug. 6, 2022. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Jackson Richman
6/8/2023
Updated:
6/9/2023
0:00

Donald Trump’s 2024 GOP primary opponents have come out in response to the former president reportedly being indicted on federal charges.

Trump got ahead of the reports on June 8 and said he was informed by his lawyers that the Department of Justice had indicted him in the case of the former president allegedly mishandling classified information and not cooperating with the federal government in returning the materials.
The charges, according to ABC News, are “willful retention of national defense information, corruptly concealing [documents], conspiracy to obstruct justice, [and] false statements.”

Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., blasted the reported indictment.

“The Biden regime, which is realizing they can’t beat or cheat their way to another victory, has taken the unprecedented step to indict President Trump amid reports that the Biden family accepted $10 million in illegal bribes from foreign nationals,” said MAGA Inc. spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. “America is a nation that has become plagued by a two-tier system of justice that must be confronted and destroyed. This will only be done when we reelect President Donald J. Trump.”

Trump’s GOP opponents expressed outrage over the reported indictment.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) speaks during a campaign stop at Manchester Community College in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 1, 2023. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) speaks during a campaign stop at Manchester Community College in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 1, 2023. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote on Twitter.

“We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation. Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?”

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy wrote in a Twitter post that: “I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the middle of an election.”

“This is an affront to every citizen: we cannot devolve into a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its political opponents,” he added. “It’s hypocritical for the DOJ to selectively prosecute Trump but not Biden.”

Ramaswamy explained that “it would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren’t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics” and, if elected, he would “pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025, and restore the rule of law in our country.”

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition stage backdrop in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition stage backdrop in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson reiterated his call for Trump to end his comeback bid for the White House.

“With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time, our country finds itself in a position that weakens our democracy,” he said in a statement.

“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,” continued Hutchinson. “This is a sad day for our country. While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction. This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign.”

A long-shot, Steve Laffey, former mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, said in a statement that Trump would lose the 2024 election if he becomes the GOP nominee.

“The former President continues to make a mockery of the electoral process,” he said in a statement.

“After being convicted in federal court for sexual harassment, indicted by Manhattan prosecutors for falsifying business records, and now facing a federal indictment, enough is enough,” continued Cranston. ”President Trump will have more court appearances than campaign stops at this rate. It’s time the RNC and voters take a closer look at the candidates and realize that Donald Trump cannot win the 2024 Presidential election.”

Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Businessman Perry Johnson said he would pardon Trump.

“I was the first candidate to call for @JoeBiden to #PardonTrump so the country can move on to the important issues facing the country like $32 trillion in debt, a broken border, and a war in Ukraine. I stand by it. Pardon Trump now!” he posted on Twitter.
Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder meets with guests at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder meets with guests at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition in Clive, Iowa, on April 22, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Conservative commentator Larry Elder decried America’s justice system.

“More partisan prosecution! Hillary violates the Espionage Act—yet skates. FBI/DOJ whistleblowers tell of 2-tiered justice. FBI informant doc claims Joe & Hunter got $10mil in bribes. O.J. Simpson will catch the killer or killers of Ron and Nicole before the Hunter probe is over,” he posted on Twitter.

On June 9, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley blasted the reported indictment.

“This is not how justice should be pursued in our country,” posted Haley on Twitter.

“The American people are exhausted by the prosecutorial overreach, double standards, and vendetta politics,” she continued. ”It’s time to move beyond the endless drama and distractions.”

Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.
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