POLITICO
Longshot GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that if he was elected he would pardon former President Donald Trump, who was indicted on charges related to classified documents found at his Florida property.
In a statement late Thursday, the 37-year-old biotech executive echoed Trump’s criticism of the special prosecutor, saying there were “two tiers of justice,” with Trump subject to a different standard than President Joe Biden.
“It would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren’t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics. I commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country,” he said.
Ramaswamy, who has polled in the single digits in the GOP primary, is unlikely to be the next president, but his statement could set the bar for other members of the GOP presidential field who are looking to defend Trump in the wake of his indictment.
Even as the former president has faced increasing legal woes, including a New York indictment for falsifying business records related to a payout to adult film star Stormy Daniels and a civil judgment related to a decades-old assault on writer E. Jean Carroll, many in the GOP primary field have defended him.
That extends to the conservative movement. Conservative youth activist Charlie Kirk, who runs the influential group Turning Point USA, called on every other ‘24 GOP primary candidate to “suspend their campaign” and go to Miami — where Trump is being summoned — “as a show of support.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a rival for the nomination, said in an interview on Fox News shortly following news of Trump’s coming indictment that “lady justice has a blindfold on” and “what we’ve seen over the last several years is the weaponization of the department of justice against the former president.”
He then promised to “purge all of the injustices and impurities in our system” if elected.
Perry Johnson, who is spending from his own fortune on his presidential run, claimed he was the first to call for Biden to pardon Trump, “so the country can move on to the important issues facing the country.”
Not everyone in the GOP field rushed to Trump’s defense. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has struggled to gain any traction in the polls, said Trump’s actions shouldn’t be what defines the Republican Party. He called on him to drop out.
“While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction,” said Hutchinson. “This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign.”
