Republican presidential candidate former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) said Tuesday on ABC’s “The View” that if he became president, he would not pardon former President Donald Trump should he be convicted of crimes.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said, “Governor, it takes courage to get in when you are taking on someone with as strong as a presence as Donald Trump. You’re taking him on directly, criticizing him for things like January 6, saying it should disqualify him from seeking the White House. Why are you speaking out so forcefully when others haven’t? Do you think the Republican Party would benefit from more folks coming out and directly taking him on?”
Hutchinson said, “First of all, it’s not a matter of strategy for me, it’s simply answering the question honestly. You’re defending the indefensible if you try to defend January 6. It was wrong. It was an attack on our democracy and it shouldn’t have happen.”
He added, “I believe in the rule of law. When the E. Jean Carroll verdict came I quickly responded and said this should be taken seriously. It’s a jury unanimously making a finding. I knew what was ahead, that was that Donald Trump is going to undermine our justice system, our rule of law, and poke fun at it, and that’s not good for our system.”
Discussing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), co-host Joy Behar said, “He also said that he would pardon Trump if he won. Would you?”
Hutchinson said, “No.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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