Sununu says Democrats ‘misplayed’ possible Trump indictment
Ryan King
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Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) argued that Democrats have “misplayed” the possible indictment of former President Donald Trump for the alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump claimed Saturday that he expects to be “arrested on Tuesday,” though an exact timeline of when he could be indicted is not fully clear. Sununu downplayed the accusations against Trump and suggested that targeting Trump over a “misdemeanor” would fuel sympathy for him.
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“A lot of the Democrats have misplayed this in terms of building sympathy for the former president, and it does drastically change the paradigm as we go into the 2024 elections,” Sununu said on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. ”
“I was [out] with coffee this morning with some folks, and none of them were big Trump supporters, but they all said they felt like he was being attacked,” Sununu added. “This is likely some sort of misdemeanor on an issue seven years ago. This has nothing to do with January 6. There’s folks out there that still think this has something to do with January 6.”
Sununu has long been an outspoken critic of Trump and mused about a 2024 run. Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office have been weighing possible charges against Trump over an alleged $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels during the 2016 election cycle to stay quiet about an alleged affair they had roughly a decade prior.
Statute of limitations could complicate a potential campaign finance case against Trump, but prosecutors are also zeroing in on the alleged falsification of business records. They have met with Daniels and Michael Cohen, a former Trump lawyer and fixer. Cohen previously pleaded guilty in 2018 to a charge pertaining to the alleged payment.
New York law enforcement has reportedly begun crafting plans to prepare for security in the event of a Trump indictment. A least one more witness is expected to be questioned Monday.
“This is untested. There’s a question about why they’re doing it — something seven years ago. It’s not a nothing,” Sununu added. “There’s much more pressing issues of the day. It’s just unfortunate this is taking the headlines.”
Trump issued a clarion call to his followers, urging them to “protest, take our nation back.” Sununu underscored that protests should be peaceful.
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Sununu has been mulling a run for president in 2024. He appeared to indicate that he will likely make a decision by the summer months.
“All of us have to make some sort of decision as we hit the summer months. I’d love to be in a debate if we actually go down that path. I just think that’d be really fun,” he said. “Our message is really gaining traction. It’s about competency-related results, leadership that can bring something to the table.”