Global Courant
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he doesn’t know why other 2024 Republican presidential candidates “assume” former President Trump will be found guilty of the charges he faces.
pennies said in an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which will air in full Sunday, that it is “premature” to pardon Trump for the charges he faces as the legal process is not yet finalized.
“Let me first of all say that I don’t know why some of my competitors in the Republican primaries assume the president will be found guilty,” he said. “Look, we only know what the president is accused of in the indictment. We don’t know what his defense is. We don’t know if this will even make it to court. It may be the subject of a cancellation request. We don’t know what the jury’s verdict will be.”
Pence’s comments come as a few of the other candidates for the GOP nomination have promised to pardon Trump if elected, or said they are open to considering it.
Conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has been the most vocal about pardoning Trump, saying seeing the latest indictment against Trump made him “even more convinced” that the former president should be pardoned. He has also called up his 2024 rivals promise to pardon Trump if elected.
Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said she is “inclined for” pardoning Trump for the good of the country, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said he would to consider pardon all defendants from January 6, 2021, insurgency and Trump.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez hinted he’s open to it on Friday and said he’d like to look into it using the grace power to heal the land.
Todd pressed Pence whether he would now pardon Trump if he were in President Biden’s position.
“I just think this whole thing is incredibly divisive in the country. And look, at the end of the day, I just think it saddens me that we’re in this moment right now,” Pence replied.
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Pence said before the indictment was issued that he hoped the Justice Department wouldn’t go through with it because it would divide the country, but he said after it was announced that the allegations against Trump are “very serious” and that he “cannot defend” what is alleged.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges filed against him on Tuesday in the investigation of classified and sensitive documents.
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