A 2024 Republican candidate for president, Asa Hutchinson is calling for former President Donald Trump to drop out of the upcoming presidential race amid the ongoing investigations surrounding him.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who jumped into the race for the White House in late April, said Trump is the “target of an ongoing criminal investigation” and that he “should step aside and put the good of the country above his candidacy”.
During an interview on ABC News’s “This Week,” Hutchinson slammed members of the Republican Party for claiming the Department of Justice has been weaponized against Trump.
“In terms of the overall charge of weaponization of the Justice Department, look at Donald Trump. He’s already declared that he – if he’s elected president, he’s gonna appoint a special prosecutor to go after the Biden family”, Hutchinson said. “That’s called a weaponization of the Justice Department”.
“And so let’s back off of these accusations, and let’s get back to being the party of the rule of law, of the justice system supporting law enforcement and the equal application of the law”, he added. “Let’s don’t undermine the greatest justice system and criminal justice system and rule of law in the world today, this side of heaven”.
Hutchinson went on to argue that Trump should put the “office of presidency and our country” above himself.
“Whenever you’ve got these serious allegations against you, whenever you’ve got the challenge of multiple different investigations during the course of the next year, it’s not fair to the country and certainly it’s not fair to the party that wants to get this country back on track”, Hutchinson said.
Asa Hutchinson calls on his fellow Republicans to “back off” allegations that the DOJ has been "weaponized."
“Let’s get back to being the party of the rule of law, of the justice system supporting law enforcement and the equal application of the law.” https://t.co/re0py9LGb0 pic.twitter.com/gf921PLUWv
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 18, 2023
During an announcement in his hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, Hutchinson declared that he would be joining the growing field of contenders taking on Trump in the battle for the 2024 GOP nomination.
“Today, I am announcing that I am a candidate for president of the United States”, Hutchinson told supporters. “In this campaign for president, I stand alone in terms of my experience, my record, and leadership. From Congress to the DEA to Homeland Security, I have served our country in times of crisis. As governor of Arkansas, we cut taxes and created record surpluses. We increased pay for teachers. We reduced regulations; recruited industry and the private sector grew by over 100,000 jobs. My mettle has been tested”.
“In this campaign for president, I stand alone in terms of my experience, record, and leadership”, Hutchinson said. “From Congress to DEA to Homeland Security, I have served our country in times of crisis. As governor of Arkansas, we cut taxes and created record surpluses”.
The @GOP should clarify that there is no pledge to support a nominee if they are found guilty of espionage or a serious felony.
Donald Trump is the target of an ongoing criminal investigation and he should step aside & put the good of the country above his candidacy.
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) June 8, 2023
“We have learned that in times of turmoil, uncertainty, and division, America has always benefited from leaders who challenge us and give us hope”, Hutchinson continued.
He added: “I am confident that America is ready to seek new frontiers; and that we are ready to channel the restless waves of our democracy into more freedom and more prosperity for those who follow after us”.
