Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson says Donald Trump does not respect the rule of law
While many Republicans in the presidential field remain hestitant to criticise Donald Trump over his various indictments, one candidate has gone so far as to say he should drop out of the Republican nominating contest.
\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s actions \u2013 from his willful [sic] disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law \u2013 should not define our nation or the Republican Party,\u201d former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.
\u201cThis 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.\u201d
Mr Hutchinson, who is trailing far behind the likes of Mr Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis in early polls of the Republican race, has long voiced his opposition to Mr Trump\u2019s style and disregard for democracy.
Now, with Mr Trump becoming the first ever former US president to be federally indicted, Mr Hutchinson has taken his feelings a step further.
In different times, the idea that a candidate could survive a federal indictment for mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice would be difficult to believe.
But these times, and this candidate, may be different.
Mr Trump has already been indicted once this year, in New York, for his alleged role in facilitating a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and has remained the favoured to win the Republican nomination regardless.
While Mr Hutchinson called on Mr Trump to leave the race, others of Mr Trump\u2019s primary opponents took a different tack. The entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, for instance, said in a statement that he would pardon Mr Trump if elected president.
\u201cIt would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren\u2019t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics,\u201d Mr Ramaswamy said. \u201cI commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country.\u201d
Mr DeSantis, meanwhile, vowed to \u201cbring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias, and end weaponisation once and for all\u201d.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina sounded a similar note, arguing on Fox News that \u201cwhat we\u2019ve seen over the last several years is the weaponization of the department of justice against the former president\u201d.
Mr Trump\u2019s comments in the aftermath of his indictment were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most strident of all.
Mr Trump\u2019s comments in the aftermath of his indictment were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most strident of all.
\u201cWe\u2019re leading against Biden by a lot, a tremendous amount,\u201d Mr Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social.
\u201cAnd we went up to a level where they figured the way they\u2019re going to stop us is by using what\u2019s called warfare. And that\u2019s what it is. This is warfare for the law. And we can\u2019t let it happen. We can\u2019t let it happen. Our country is going to hell, and they come after Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n