June 9, 2023 Latest on federal indictment against Donald Trump
7:02 p.m. ET, June 9, 2023
How Republican presidential candidates are reacting to the impeachment against Trump
By CNN staff
AP, Getty Images/File
Donald Trump’s rivals in the Republican presidential race are reacting to the impeachment against the former president.
Here’s what some of them said:
Ron DeSantis: People familiar with DeSantis’ political activities told CNN after the indictment was unsealed Friday that they do not expect him to change the testimony he gave the previous day.
The Governor of Florida tweeted Thursday: “Arming federal law enforcement poses a deadly threat to a free society. We have seen unequal application of the law based on political affiliation for years.”
“Why are they so eager to pursue Trump and so passive to Hillary or Hunter? “The DeSantis administration will be accountable to the Justice Department, eradicate political bias and end arming once and for all,” he added.
A campaign-related Republican fundraiser said Friday that there was no impetus in the governor’s close circle to change his stance on Trump’s alleged actions. According to the fundraiser, they are pleased with the course he has taken since Trump’s first indictment in March.
Nikki Haley: The former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations released a statement on Friday, calling the charges “prosecutors’ transgression,” adding it was time “to move beyond the endless drama and distractions.”
“This is not how justice should be sought in our country,” Haley said.
“The latest round of indictments is another reminder that the Republican Party needs a new direction,” Colin Reed, senior adviser to Tell It Like It Is PAC, said Friday.
Former governor of New Jersey tweeted Thursday that “no one is above the law”.
“Let’s see what the facts are when a possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish to be. We will have more to say as the facts come out,” he wrote.
Asa Hutchinson: The former Arkansas governor – who said he read the indictment against Trump after it was unsealed on Friday – called the allegations against the former president “serious” and argued that Republicans should not dismiss the charges lightly.
On Thursday night, Hutchinson had urged Trump to drop out of the 2024 race after the former president said he had been impeached.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, he doubled down on his stance, arguing that Trump should end his campaign “for the good of the country and for the good of the presidency.”
Mike Pence: Before the indictments were overturned on Friday, the former vice president urged US Attorney General Merrick Garland to release the document so Americans “can assess for themselves whether this is just the latest incident of arming and politicization at the Justice Department or whether it is a… something else is acting”.
Pence had also said he considered any calls for Trump to suspend his campaign “premature” and said “everyone is innocent until proven guilty” and that Trump has the right to defend himself.
Pence did not respond to a question about his reaction to the unsealing of the indictment later Friday when he met with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
Vivek Ramaswamy: The Entrepreneur released a statement on Thursday, saying, “This is an affront to every citizen: we cannot transform ourselves into a banana republic where the ruling party uses police force to arrest its political opponents.”
Ramaswamy also reiterated his promise to pardon Trump if he is elected.
CNN’s Kit Maher, Omar Jimenez and Brian Rokus contributed to this coverage.