During a press conference in Miami, Florida, Vivek Ramaswamy addresses the politicized actions of Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ). He highlights the need to hold the Biden Administration accountable for their actions, refusing to let political agendas overshadow the pursuit of justice.
Unyielding in his commitment to transparency and accountability, Vivek declares that if the Biden Administration fails to respond within 20 days, he will utilize his campaign funds to take legal action against them. This bold step emphasizes his determination to uphold the principles of fairness and integrity in our democratic system.
During the conference, Vivek reveals a powerful initiative he undertook by sending letters to every presidential campaign. In these letters, he pledges to pardon Donald Trump on day one of his presidency, showcasing his unwavering commitment to bridging political divides and allowing the people of this country to elect their leader without undue interference or bias.
With a resolute conviction in speaking truth and standing on principle, Vivek defends the importance of due process and the presumption of innocence. He firmly believes that judgments should be reserved for the court of law, rather than being influenced by partisan narratives or political witch hunts.
As the press conference concludes, Vivek reminds us that this is a 1776 moment—a crucial time in history where we must safeguard the principles that made our nation great. He emphasizes the need for the American people to have the power to elect their next leader, ensuring that America is best positioned for a prosperous and secure future.
Transcript
Two announcements today but before I do I want to share something with you. America is not a country where the party in power is able to use police force to arrest its political opponents. That is the stuff of banana republics. We don’t do that in this country. I read the indictment by the federal Department of Justice against Donald Trump. That document reeks of politicization. I will tell you why. It stays silent on the main law that’s relevant to this case, the Presidential Records Act. It stays silent on the 2012 case that says that the president has an authority to decide what is and is not covered. It stays silent on the statements that Trump made in 2016 after the election, despite the fact that it quotes him before that election. It stays silent on the fact that executive orders do not bind a U.S. as law. That tells me this is politicized. And, by the way, I want to be very clear about something. As U.S. President I would have made different judgments then Donald Trump made.
So the bottom line is there are two things that matter what is how are we going to hold the Biden Department of Justice accountable. The first answer is that yesterday I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request, a demand, to the Biden Department of Justice demanding what did Biden tell Jack Smith, what did Biden tell Merrick Garland, what did Garland tell special prosecutor Jack Smith? They are required within 20 business days to give us an answer about any direct or indirect communications.
And the first announcement I want to make today is that if they do not comply with the law in the next 20 business days then we will sue them in federal courts, at our campaigns expense, to get to the bottom of those answers. The news media should be doing this. It is a shame that a competitor to Donald Trump in this election has to do the job of the political news media. Your job, if you have one, is to hold the U.S. government accountable for their lies. You do not take what they say at face value for the last 8 years when it was President Trump. Do not take their lies at face value now. But it is a shame that it takes a leader outside of media to stand up. That is what we’re doing. They now have this Freedom of Information Act request and if they don’t comply within 20 days, and they don’t follow the law, we will see to it in federal court.
That brings me to my second announcement that I’m going to make today. This is an announcement of a letter that my campaign has sent to every other campaign in this race. To Mike Pence, to Nikki Haley, to Larry Elder, to RFK Junior, to Marianne Williamson, To Doug Burgum, to Perry Johnson, to Chris Christy, to Ron DeSantis, the governor of the state where we are today who, by any measure, is not here today in his own state. I will tell you that we have sent this letter and I’m happy to announce this is my commitment on January 20, 2025, if I’m elected the next U.S. president, pardon Donald J Trump for these offenses in this federal case. And I have challenged, I have demanded, that every other candidate in this race either sign this commitment to pardon on January 20, 2025 or to explain why they are not. And I will tell you something it’s going to be difficult for those other candidates to sign this letter. The reason it’s going to be difficult for them is the same reason it’s difficult for me. The donor class has been calling every Republican candidate and telling us to stay away from this, not to touch it from a 10-foot pole, not, just to keep your distance or away from Trump. That is what the donor class is telling us. That’s what they’re telling the other candidates. I refuse to abide by being a disciple of the donor class. I think that we need to declare independence from our donor class in the Republican party. That is why I challenge every one of the other candidates to actually act on their convictions. If you’re not going to president, pardon president Trump on January 2025, you deserve to say why, and we will hold you accountable just as we’re holding the Bible Administration accountable. That’s what we need in this country, honesty integrity, and actual purpose for our country, in a way that puts America First, not our political interests first.
And I’ll close with saying this before I take questions. It would be a lot easier for me as a Republican candidate in this race if Donald Trump were not in it. But I don’t want to win this election, unlike others, by eliminating our competition by a federal administrative police state arresting my opponents. I want to do it the way that our Founding Fathers believe we should have starting in 1776. That is the people of this country where every person’s voice and vote counts equally. That is how we decide who governs this country, not by a federal administrative police state. And I challenge the Biden Administration with this FOIA request. I challenge my fellow contenders in this race with this commitment letter to say that we will pardon Trump in January 20, 2025, and nobody either Biden or the other contenders in this race are going to be able to hide from that truth.
I thank you all we’re going to open this up to some questions. Thank you.
