Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 Republican rivals have largely come to his defense and cast doubt about the legitimacy of his federal indictment over his handling of classified documents, while also distancing themselves from his behavior.
The Justice Department on Friday unsealed an unprecedented 37-count indictment against Trump ― who continues to lead in polls ― accusing him of mishandling classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements, facing him with substantial prison time if convicted.
Trump has dismissed the charges and proclaimed his innocence. He has vowed to continue his White House campaign, even if convicted, Politico reported.
Here’s how his Republican competitors have responded:
Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor, who is second behind Trump in the polls, has refrained from criticizing his GOP rival over the indictment and has instead sown doubt about the Justice Department.
DeSantis responded to the indictment Friday by alleging that there is a “weaponization” of government agencies and no “one standard of justice in this country.”
“Hillary had the emails,” DeSantis said in a speech that did not reference Trump by name. “Is there a different standard for a Democrat Secretary of State versus a former Republican president?”
Hillary Clinton was investigated for using a private email server while serving as Secretary of State. A federal investigation found no evidence of deliberate mishandling of classified information by her.
Mike Pence
While the former vice president has said that Trump is unfit for the presidency, citing Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, he has defended Trump in the classified documents investigation.
Pence in a speech on Saturday called the indictment “a sad day for America” and said that Trump is presumed innocent before guilty.
Pence said Attorney General Merrick Garland needs to personally and publicly explain why the indictment is necessary and “stop hiding behind the special counsel,” which brought the charges against his former boss.
Pence was also investigated by the Justice Department after classified documents were found at his home earlier this year. He was recently cleared of any wrongdoing.
“Mistakes were made, and I take full responsibility,” Pence said after the documents were found in January.
Nikki Haley
The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor has not commented critically on her former boss’ handling of the classified documents.
Haley, who was appointed ambassador by Trump, on Friday instead criticized the indictment as “prosecutorial overreach, double standards, and vendetta politics.”
“It’s time to move beyond the endless drama and distractions,” she said in a short statement.
Chris Christie
The former New Jersey governor and federal prosecutor has been openly critical of Trump. On Friday, he called the facts of the indictment “devastating.”
“Is this the type of conduct that we want from someone who wants to be president of the United States?” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “I think that we have to focus on the conduct, Jake, and the conduct is bad.”
Christie said he believes the number of people speaking out against Trump will “get larger” as they understand the facts.
Vivek Ramaswamy
The businessman told CNN on Sunday that the indictment against Trump is “deeply politicized” and “selective prosecution.” He said he believes a court will acquit Trump but also “that a pardon is the right answer here.”
“There’s a difference between a bad judgment and breaking the law,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash.
Ramaswamy said if he were in Trump’s shoes, he personally would not have taken the documents with him when he left the White House, and if he had, he would have returned them on demand.
“I would not have made the judgments that President Trump made. It’s a big part of why I’m in this race is, I think that I would have made different judgments than Trump made,” he said.
Asa Hutchinson
The former Arkansas governor and former federal prosecutor has called for Trump to end his campaign, saying in a statement Thursday that the indictment is a major distraction that “weakens our democracy.”
Speaking with CNN on Sunday, Hutchinson said the indictment is “obviously very solid” but that it will be a challenging case in court “not because the facts are weak” but because the defendant is a former president and the jury may not be impartial.
“We need somebody who has a high regard for military secrets, for classified documents and for the rule of law,” he said of the next president.
He said Ramaswamy’s suggestion that he would pardon Trump if he was president is nothing more than an attempt to “curry votes” and “get an applause line.”
“If you start down that path, it is unending,” he said, adding that such a pardon would undermine the jury system, which found probable cause to indict Trump, and the rule of law.
Tim Scott
The South Carolina senator, in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, said Trump should be presumed innocent and that he will “continue to pray that justice prevails.”
“The scales are weighted,” he said of the Justice Department’s investigation.
Doug Burgum
The North Dakota governor has largely stayed silent on the indictment.
He told CNN on Thursday that his campaign is instead focused on “the economy, energy and national security” and not the past.
He told CBS News on Sunday that if elected president, he would “follow every rule related to handling classified documents.”
Larry Elder
The conservative talk radio host, prior to reading the indictment, said it was a “sad, pathetic day.”