[ad_1]
(CNN) Candidates for the 2024 Republican primary quickly united Thursday over a strategy to respond to the indictment of former President Donald Trump: attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but not by praising Trump. I can’t reach it.
Given the unprecedented news of the former president facing more than 30 counts of lawsuits related to business fraud, the reaction from his potential Republican rivals has been largely familiar. . Ambitious Republicans have set their sights on liberal opponents rather than risk a backlash from Trump-loyal base voters. It’s a tactic that emphasizes the former president’s control of the Republican Party, even if he’s been indicted.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely seen as the most formidable potential Republican candidate for Trump, did not mention the former president in his response, instead saying, “Soros-backed Manhattan. District Attorney.” Central to conservative conspiracy theories.
“Weaponizing the legal system to advance the political agenda upends the rule of law. It is un-American,” DeSantis tweeted. “The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and allow criminal activity. But now he’s expanding the law to target his political opponents. “
DeSantis also reiterated that he would not cooperate with Mr Trump’s extradition request, who lives in Florida. Trump is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday in New York, where he has spent most of his life.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was one of Trump’s most ardent advocates for years before he took cautious criticism after the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. , called the indictment of his former boss “angry” and suggested that Bragg had political motives. .
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer noted that the grand jury voted in favor of indicting Trump, and Pence doubled down.
“But when New York’s Attorney General, Manhattan’s DA, campaigns to target specific Americans, it goes against the vast majority of Americans who believe in fairness and who previously believed in equal treatment. I think the law,” he told Blitzer in an interview Thursday night.
Bragg is a Republican who sought to link his progressive stance on criminal justice to national Democrats like President Joe Biden in a city often portrayed as besieged by violent crime. Leading up to and shortly after the indictment, even Republicans willing to criticize Trump denounced the Bragg investigation as a political stunt or an abuse of power. bottom.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who is considering running for president, sent a similar message on social media. Like DeSantis and others, he focused on Bragg and ignored the substance of the charges against Trump.
“It’s hard to believe that District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted the former president and current presidential candidate for pure political gain,” said Youngkin. “The arrest of a hoaxed presidential candidate should not happen in America.”
Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations, is the only Republican strongman outside of Trump to officially declare her candidacy. She also took her middle path, tweeting, “This is more about revenge than justice,” posting a clip of a recent Fox News interview and denouncing the Bragg case as a “political prosecution.”
Another Trump Cabinet official considering the primary, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accused Bragg of “undermining America’s confidence in our legal system.”
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who has been battling for the lead in Iowa, called Trump’s indictment a “farce” and lashed out at Bragg and the “far left” in a statement.
“This pro-criminal New York Attorney’s Office has failed to uphold laws for violent criminals, but has weaponized laws against political opponents,” Scott said.
Former Arkansas Gov. Eartha Hutchinson, a more ardent Trump critic than the other candidates, has taken a more cautious view and repeatedly opposed Trump’s attempts to take back the White House, but she has criticized prosecutors. His harshest criticism still holds.
“It’s a dark day for America when the former president is indicted on criminal charges,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “While the grand jury found credible facts to support the indictment, it is important that the presumption of innocence follows Trump.” It is.”
“Finally, it is imperative that the decision of America’s next president is made at the ballot box, not in the courts. Donald Trump should not be the next president, but it should be decided by the voters.”
But even if Republicans lag behind Trump, the political implications remain unclear. Trump commands a very loyal following and leads in most of his early preliminary investigations. Still, voters largely rejected his favorite candidate during the midterm elections, and his indictment will raise further questions about his viability in 2024.
Mr. Trump has consistently denounced Mr. Bragg and raised prosecution funds from his supporters.
“The Deep State will use whatever it has at its disposal to shut down political movements that put you first,” his campaign said in an email to supporters Thursday night.
Even before the indictment, Trump and his allies tried to turn potential accusations against him into litmus test paper for becoming his challenger.
“It’s been over 24 hours and some are still quiet. History will judge their silence,” the Trump campaign account said after first saying Trump would be arrested earlier this month. , tweeted.
I didn’t name it, but the goal was clear.
While DeSantis’ cautious efforts have held Trump back in his bid to win some of his supporters, they have become increasingly difficult in the shadow of the expected indictments. criticized Trump at the same time.
“I don’t know what it takes to pay a pornstar hush money to remain silent about some sort of alleged incident,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Panama City. I can not do it.”
Before that, he told reporters, “I have no interest in getting involved in a circus set up by the Soros DA.”
The “pornstar” punchline has drawn the ire of President Trump and was removed from DeSantis’ comment after the news broke on Thursday.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who clashed with Trump in 2016 and became an ally ahead of the 2020 election, reversed course and insisted he would never endorse Trump again this week, but on Thursday. But in a Fox News interview last week, he predicted that the indictment would help the former president among Republican voters and criticized Bragg.
“I don’t think this is the crime of the century,” said Christie, “and, like I said, it certainly isn’t a case of trying to improve the daily lives of Manhattanites.”
Republican Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire told CNN’s Jake Tupper earlier this month that he needed more information before making a decision, instead directing his anger at political opponents and the press.
“I think a lot of Democrats, not just the media, actually misunderstand this in terms of building sympathy for the former president,” Sununu said. Heading into the election, we’re going to change the paradigm dramatically.”
The indictment was filed in connection with a years-long investigation into a hush-money scheme involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. The lawsuit relates to Trump’s then-personal attorney Michael Cohen making his $130,000 payment to Daniels in late October 2016. Mr Trump has denied the allegations. According to Cohen’s own federal prosecutor, Trump Organization court filings, executives paid a total of $420,000 to cover his original $130,000 payment and tax liability, and to reward him with bonuses. I agreed to pay him. Trump denied knowledge of the payment.
In addition to the hush-money investigation, Trump is surrounded by a number of other legal issues. We are considering filing charges of racketeering and conspiracy in connection with While in Washington, a Justice Department special counsel is investigating Trump’s actions and handling of classified documents regarding the 2020 election.
Veronica Stracqualursi and Kit Maher contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
