Dissent from the vast field of 2024 GOP presidential candidates has already begun to rise since former President Donald Trump revealed that he is a target of the criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he hopes that Trump isn’t indicted a third time and that the former president’s actions on January 6 are judged by the American people.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. I’m not convinced that the president acting on bad advice of a group of crank lawyers that came into the White House in the days before January 6 is actually criminal,” Pence told NewsNation. Pence added that his hope is the “judgment about the president’s actions on January 6 would be left to the American people.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson: “I have said from the beginning that Donald Trump’s actions on January 6 should disqualify him from ever being President again. As a former federal prosecutor, I understand the severity of Grand Jury investigations and what it means to be targeted by such an investigation. Donald Trump has confirmed that he is a target of this investigation and will likely be indicted once again. While Donald Trump would like the American people to believe that he is the victim in this situation, the truth is that the real victims of January 6th were our democracy, our rule of law, and those Capitol Police officers who worked valiantly to protect our Capitol. Anyone who truly loves this country and is willing to put the country over themselves would suspend their campaign for President of the United States immediately. It is disappointing that Donald Trump refuses to do so.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he hopes Trump “doesn’t get charged. I don’t think it’ll be good for the country. But at the same time, I’ve gotta focus on looking forward, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
“I think what we’ve seen in this country is an attempt to criminalize politics and to try to criminalize differences,” DeSantis told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I don’t know what it was all about that but I do know that we look at institutions unfortunately, like our own FBI and Department of Justice, and we’ve seen the politicization of those institutions.”
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley: “I mean, the rest of this primary election is going to be in reference to Trump, it’s gonna be about lawsuits, it’s gonna be about legal fees, it’s gonna be about judges, and it is just going to continue to be a further and further distraction.”
She told Fox News, “And that’s why I am running, it’s because we need a new generational leader. We can’t keep dealing with this drama or dealing with the negativity. we can’t keep dealing with all of this.”
Chris Christie: “As a former prosecutor, I want to see any potential indictment before I talk about the case against Donald Trump. That said, let me be clear: his conduct on January 6th proves he doesn’t care about our country & our Constitution.” Christie said on Twitter.
Will Hurd: “Jan. 6 was a dark day for democracy. Trump’s inaction then, and now being a target in the investigation, proves he’s not fit for office. Our country deserves leaders who will put the Constitution and the American people above all else.” Hurd said on Twitter.
Vivek Ramaswamy: “This is different from any of the other prior indictments against Trump and people are missing the importance of this indictment in particular. Not only is this a federal indictment like the last one in the documents case? But more importantly, this one under section three of the 14th amendment could disqualify President Trump from either running for US president or potentially even being removed as US president if he is elected, I think this sets a dangerous precedent in our country.” Ramaswamy said in a video posted on Twitter.
CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, Steve Contorno and Kit Maher contributed to this report.
