A GOP presidential candidate said Sunday that the charges being brought against former President Donald Trump should disqualify him from the 2024 contest.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is seeking the Republican nomination, told ABC’s This Week that the charges against Trump are as serious as it gets.
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“I’ve tried scores of federal criminal trials and taken them to a jury, and the cases don’t get any more serious than what’s been outlined by Jack Smith,” he said. “You’re talking about the allegations of not handling our nation’s top secrets in accordance with law. You’re talking about obstruction of justice, and these are serious, and obviously, they’re factually well-based.”
“Cases don’t get any more serious than what’s been outlined by Jack Smith.”
GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson tells @JonKarl that the federal charges brought by the special counsel against former Pres. Trump are “serious and disqualifying.” https://t.co/re0py9LGb0 pic.twitter.com/7A8wEll83z
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 18, 2023
Trump has furiously pushed back against the charges filed against him related to his handling of classified documents, calling the indictment a politically motivated witch hunt. Most GOP competitors have taken the same tactic, defending Trump and saying the Biden administration’s Department of Justice can’t be trusted.
Hutchinson, 72, is one of a handful of Republican candidates, along with Chris Christie and Mike Pence, to wholeheartedly attack Trump. However, the three are pulling less than 10% support from GOP voters between them, per the RealClearPolitics voting average. Hutchinson is polling at less than 1%.
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Nonetheless, he urged voters to take a look at the charges against Trump, and to look elsewhere when it comes to presidential candidates.
“The American people should [take this seriously] because this case is most likely not going to come to trial before voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are going to have to decide the case, or decide the vote, which is going to involve them evaluating the seriousness of these charges,” he said. “I view them as serious and disqualifying, actually, for a commander in chief.”