Trump Indictment: Live Updates On Arrest, Arraignment Plans

Several declared and likely GOP 2024 presidential candidates spoke out on the news of Trump’s unprecedented indictment.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who polls show would be Trump’s strongest rival for the GOP nomination, denounced the indictment as “un-American” and said his state would harbor Trump as a fugitive if he doesn’t surrender.

Another potentially leading contender, former Vice President Mike Pence, called the indictment an “outrage.”

“This is more about revenge than it is about justice,” wrote Nikki Haley, who announced her White House run in February.

Vivek Ramaswamy, another declared GOP presidential candidate, called the indictment “wrong” and “dangerous.”

“If this had been anybody else other than Donald Trump on this set of facts, it would have been charged as a misdemeanor at most, if at all,” Ramaswamy said. “Yet, what we see right now is a ruling party in our country that will stop at nothing, even using police force to arrest its political opponents.”

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who is reportedly considering a presidential announcement, said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg acted “for pure political gain.”

“The left’s continued attempts to weaponize our judicial system erode people’s faith in the American justice system and it needs to stop,” Youngkin tweeted.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, another likely contender, echoed Youngkin, calling on Bragg to “spend taxpayers’ money and your energy protecting law-abiding citizens. Not playing politics.”

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Trump critic who is considering entering the race, struck a different tone, urging Americans to be patient.

“We need to wait on the facts and for our American system of justice to work like it does for thousands of Americans every day,” Hutchinson said in a statement.

Article source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-indictment-live-updates_n_64260717e4b00c9517511148