Trump is expected to withdraw his candidacy for the 2024 US presidential election, according to former Governor Hutchinson.
After Donald Trump was indicted in the document case, several top Republican politicians criticized the former US president for handling secret information. On Sunday’s top political talk shows, Trump’s former defense secretary Mark Esper sharply criticized his former boss, but Republican presidential candidates Mike Pence and Asa Hutchinson also criticized Trump’s behavior.
The comments were in stark contrast to comments from many Republican lawmakers who defended Trump or dismissed criticism of him.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges at a first hearing on the document case last Tuesday. The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination is accused, among other things, of illegally keeping secret files at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
“It could do great harm to the nation”
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called the allegations “serious and disqualifying” on ABC. In his opinion, Trump should “abandon” the Republican presidential race.
If the allegation that the files contain information about the country’s security is true, it could be “quite harmful for the nation”, former defense secretary Esper told CNN, calling the revelations “disturbing”. “No one is above the law,” he continued.
Candidates for the Republican presidential nomination find themselves in the difficult position of having to articulate what sets them apart from the up-and-coming Trump — without alienating his loyal and powerful supporters.
Trump’s former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, told NBC: “I cannot defend what he is accused of.” “I don’t know why some of my competitors in the Republican primary are assuming the president will be found guilty,” he continued.
Trump denies allegations
Trump allegedly took the relevant documents with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago at the end of his term in January 2021. The former president denied the allegations and described the indictment as an attempt by the administration of his successor, Joe Biden, to to remove him politically.
After the court hearing, the right-wing populist spoke on Tuesday night of the “most malicious and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country”. Many Republicans endorsed the former president’s allegations.