Just Three of Trump’s Primary Opponents Go After Him for Latest Indictment

In the wake of the third indictment of President Trump, this time over charges related to the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, just three of his Republican primary competitors are trying to make hay from what would likely be a fatal blow to any other candidate.The most vocal opponent of Mr. Trump is the man who served as his vice president, Mike Pence, who issued one of the most direct statements criticizing Mr. Trump over his alleged crimes.“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Mr. Pence said in a statement late Tuesday after the indictment was unsealed. “Our country is more important than one man. Our Constitution is more important than any one man’s career.”Mr. Pence said that while Mr. Trump is “entitled to the presumption of innocence,” the latest indictment will mean that less attention is paid to the issues in the presidential election. “On January 6th, Former President Trump demanded that I choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution and I always will,” he added.A former governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, also issued a statement critical of Mr. Trump and asked supporters to help him qualify for the first GOP primary presidential debate.“I have always said that Donald Trump is morally responsible for the attack on our democracy,” Mr. Hutchinson said. “Now, with today’s indictment, our system of Justice will determine whether he is criminally responsible.”Another former governor, Chris Christie, was also critical of Mr. Trump in his statement on the indictment, saying Mr. Trump “violated his oath and brought shame to his presidency.”“The events around the White House from election night forward are a stain on our country’s history and a disgrace to the people who participated,” Mr. Christie said. “This disgrace falls the most on Donald Trump.”Perhaps the most vocal anti-Trump candidate is a former CIA clandestine officer and congressman, Will Hurd, who maintains that Mr. Trump is running for president again just to avoid incarceration.“Let me be crystal clear: Trump’s presidential bid is driven by an attempt to stay out of prison and scam his supporters into footing his legal bills,” Mr. Hurd said. “His denial of the 2020 election results and actions on Jan. 6 show he’s unfit for office.”Mr. Hurd added that “we need to prioritize offering solutions to difficult issues affecting all Americans and not allow ourselves to be distracted by Trump’s baggage.”Mr. Trump’s chief Republican opponent, Governor DeSantis, issued a statement that largely sidestepped the specifics of the allegations against Mr. Trump leveled in the most recent indictment.“While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment,” Mr. DeSantis said. “I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, D.C., to their home districts.”Mr. DeSantis proceeded to call the district a “swamp” and said that “it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality.”“One of the reasons our country is in decline is the politicization of the rule of law,” Mr. DeSantis said. “No more excuses — I will end the weaponization of the federal government.”Most other Republicans lined up to support Mr. Trump — even those who are ostensibly running against him. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, for one, said that his refusal to condemn the former president “is not about politics.” Instead of pointing fingers at Mr. Trump, he blamed the events of January 6 on social media censorship. “We do not want to become a country where the party in power is able to use banana republic-like tactics to eliminate its political opponents,” Mr. Ramaswamy said. “If we refuse to learn from our mistakes in the past we are doomed to suffer an even worse fate in the future.”Other competitors issued less aggressive statements that still sided with Mr. Trump. Senator Scott said, “What we see today are two different tracks of justice.”“I remain concerned about the weaponization of Biden’s DOJ and its immense power used against political opponents,” Mr. Scott said. “One for political opponents and another for the son of the current president.”Mr. Trump himself responded to the indictment with a flurry of posts on his Truth Social platform, initially asking, “Why didn’t they bring this ridiculous case two point five years ago? They wanted it right in the middle of my campaign, that’s why.”Mr. Trump’s political organization is also fundraising on the news, offering shirts reading “I Stand with Trump” in exchange for $47 donations to his Trump Save America Joint Action Committee. The latest indictment is likely to escalate the spending by Mr. Trump’s supporting political committees, which have shelled out some $40 million in legal fees in 2023 alone, according to campaign finance filings.

Just Three of Trump’s Primary Opponents Go After Him for Latest Indictment

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