Republican presidential hopefuls and lawmakers have responded to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s latest indictment of former President Donald Trump which charges him in connection with his efforts to dispute the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Trump is indicted on conspiracies against the United States and the Congressional certification of the electoral vote on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as against Americans’ right to vote. The indictment also alleges Mr. Trump attempted to obstruct and obstructed that electoral vote certification.
One of the most outraged reactions came from biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has marketed himself as the exponent of a Trump-like “America First 2.0” platform.
“The corrupt federal police just won’t stop until they’ve achieved their mission: eliminate Trump. This is un-American & I commit to pardoning Trump for this indictment,” said Mr. Ramaswamy in a statement to The Epoch Times.
He reiterated his talking points on Jan. 6, saying the unrest that day was traceable to pervasive censorship of Americans in the weeks, months, and years preceding it.
“If we fail to admit the truth, Jan 6 will just be a preview of far worse to come & I don’t want to see us get there,” he said.
In a post on Twitter, now known as X, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, long perceived as Mr. Trump’s chief 2024 rival, stressed his opposition to “the weaponization of government” without fully condemning the latest charges faced by the former president.
“While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment. I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, DC to their home districts,” he said.
“Washington, DC is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality,” he added.
Sen. Tim Scott, like Mr. DeSantis, didn’t pledge to pardon Trump.
“I remain concerned about the weaponization of Biden’s DOJ and its immense power used against political opponents,” he said.
“What we see today are two different tracks of justice. One for political opponents and another for the son of the current president. We’re watching Biden’s DOJ continue to hunt Republicans, while protecting Democrats.”
