Donald Trump indicted: 2024 rivals largely remain quiet
Mabinty Quarshie
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Former President Donald Trump‘s latest indictment late Monday night drew a few responses from his 2024 presidential rivals, but nearly 12 hours since the indictments were revealed, most of his major rivals have remained quiet, a change from their responses to the earlier indictments.
The three primary rivals who have responded to Trump’s newest legal woes, Vivek Ramaswamy, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, are lower-tiered candidates who face an uphill battle to defeat Trump for the nomination.
WHO IS FANI WILLIS, THE GEORGIA PROSECUTOR FACING THE BIGGEST CASE OF HER LIFE
Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced a 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 others, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorneys John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani late Monday night. This is Trump’s fifth indictment in four cases this year. The former president is being charged with making false statements, conspiring to use fake electors in Georgia, and racketeering, among other charges, regarding his actions after he lost the 2020 presidential election.
Ramaswamy, a long-shot presidential candidate, responded to the recent indictment Monday before the indictments were unsealed by denigrating Willis.
“Here we go again: another disastrous Trump indictment. It’s downright pathetic that Fulton County publicly posted the indictment on its website even before the grand jury had finished convening,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “As someone who’s running for President against Trump, I’d volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself: prosecutors should not be deciding U.S. presidential elections, and if they’re so overzealous that they commit constitutional violations, then the cases should be thrown out & they should be held accountable.”
https://twitter.com/VivekGRamaswamy/status/1691149756272095248
Other long-shot candidates, including Hurd, weighed in on the indictments Trump has faced in five months by slamming the former president and pushing the GOP to move beyond Trump. “Another day, another indictment, and another example of how the former president’s baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the nominee,” Hurd said. “This is further evidence that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and was ready to do anything it took to cling to power. He will use this latest indictment as another opportunity to manipulate Americans into paying his legal bills.”
https://twitter.com/WillHurd/status/1691414663899049984
Hutchinson used Trump’s indictment both to fundraise to qualify for the first GOP primary debate next week and denounce Trump. “Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump’s actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again. Those words are more true today than ever before,” Hutchinson said. “I will have additional comments after I review the details of the indictment.”
https://twitter.com/AsaHutchinson/status/1691294388234964992
Notably, Trump’s top rivals, including Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have not issued any statements on the indictment, not even to denounce the “weaponization” of the justice system, as they have done in the past.
Pence has spent recent considerable time criticizing Trump after special counsel Jack Smith indicted him over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The former vice president repeatedly said he chose the Constitution over Trump’s pressuring him not to certify the 2020 elections while on the campaign trail. But Pence did not issue any sort of statement about the Georgia indictments Monday night or Tuesday morning.
Haley’s campaign hasn’t commented on the indictment and instead sent campaign reports a note Tuesday morning about the anniversary of the fall of Kabul. “Two years ago, the world watched in horror as Joe Biden withdrew from Afghanistan in a way that betrayed our allies and emboldened our enemies. Disaster followed,” Haley said in a statement. “Thirteen American service members were killed, China grew increasingly aggressive toward Taiwan, Russia invaded Ukraine, and terrorists took over Afghanistan with the help of American equipment and supplies. To date, no one has taken responsibility for the botched withdrawal. No one has been fired, and no one replaced.”
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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a noted Trump critic, weighed in on the indictment Tuesday morning with Fox News. “Look, running for president is his choice. No one else is making him do it. But it is not an excuse not for the justice system to continue to operate,” Christie said as he pushed back against Trump, who has consistently attacked Willis.
https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1691443707281596416
DeSantis, Trump’s top rival who has stepped up his attacks against the former president, has not commented on the indictment.
The silence is in contrast to Capitol Hill Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who have once again quickly come to Trump’s defense. And it may suggest some fatigue from Trump’s rivals, who have been overshadowed by his legal problems as they prepare for the first primary debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, where they will likely be questioned about Trump’s dominance of the primary race.