Former Director of National Intelligence and U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell called on Republican presidential candidates to drop out of the race and endorse former President Donald Trump following the grand jury indictment of the 45th president Thursday night.
Grenell joined Rob Schmitt Tonight on Newsmax soon after the news and called on former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to withdraw from the race and other Republicans to abstain from entering. Addressing any viewer “who has been maybe a DeSantis supporter or a Nikki Haley supporter or a Vivek supporter,” Grenell said:
Look, I think that it’s really important to understand what Democrats are doing to Republicans. And you’re naive to think that this is just about Donald Trump. This is about every single Republican; anyone who challenges the power of the Democrats. And so I think… all the other Republican candidates should drop out tonight. They should announce their support for Donald Trump. We should unify as a party and say we are not going to allow this to happen to the United States of America.
I think for the people who maybe have been on the fence about Trump, maybe they don’t like mean tweets or something, I think they have to understand that you have to stop asking Donald Trump to be a nice guy because nice guys are what the Democrats want. They want us as Republicans to take this high road and they don’t want a fighter. They don’t want someone who is going to come in and change the system. So they keep calling for someone presidential or something and I think they’ve got to stop.
Grenell also predicted that every future former president would be indicted for one reason or another.
They’ve unleashed political prosecutions like a Third World dictatorship.
I fear what this will mean going forward.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 31, 2023
“I am somebody who wants to feel this moment and understand what’s happening, and I think the Democrats have forever changed our political system, sadly,” he told Schmitt. “I fear that every president now, former president, is going to be indicted.”
I spoke with President Trump today – he is focused on protecting our country from this abuse.
I am so grateful for his leadership. pic.twitter.com/JtjByDh4G8
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 31, 2023
The case reportedly surrounds alleged hush money payments that Trump made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Trump faces more than 30 business fraud related counts, CNN reported, though the charges are under seal. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed his office had contacted Trump’s legal counsel to coordinate a surrender, which is expected next week. George Washington University Law professor Jonathon Turley called the case “legally pathetic” in an op-ed for the Hill, adding that federal prosecutors and state prosecutors under Brgg’s predecessor opted not to pursue the case.
There are reports of 34 counts. But multiplying a flawed theory 34 times does not make it 34 times stronger. Serial repetition is no substitute for viable criminal charges. https://t.co/eE4O2x6wEL
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 31, 2023
Many on the right have slammed the indictment as “politically motivated.”
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