Former President Donald Trump, who has faced four indictments this year, was absent from Wednesday’s GOP debate. However, his presence was still felt as the topic of conversation among the eight other candidates on stage. Moderator Brett Baier reminded the candidates that they had pledged to support the Republican nominee and asked whether they would still support Trump if he were convicted in a court of law. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former Vice President Mike Pence all raised their hands, indicating their continued support for Trump as the party’s nominee, even in the event of a conviction.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson declined to raise his hand, while former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made a hand motion to clarify that he was not raising his hand in support of Trump. Christie expressed his concern about normalizing Trump’s behavior, stating that regardless of one’s opinion on the criminal charges, the conduct is not befitting of the office of President of the United States. Hutchinson later stated that he would not support someone convicted of a serious felony and suggested that Trump could potentially be disqualified from running under the 14th Amendment.
The 14th Amendment states that individuals who have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States or provided aid to its enemies, after having taken an oath to support the Constitution, are barred from holding office unless the House and Senate vote otherwise. While this amendment has yet to be invoked and Trump has yet to be convicted of any crimes, the idea of using it has been discussed by political and legal experts in the wake of the January 6th insurrection.
The candidates were also asked about Vice President Mike Pence’s actions on January 6th, when he resisted Trump’s demands to reject the Electoral College results. Pence’s resistance made him a central witness in the investigation into Trump’s alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Pence asked the other candidates if they believed he had upheld his oath to the Constitution, to which they responded positively. However, Ramaswamy stated that if he were president, he would pardon Trump if convicted and urged Pence to do the same. Pence noted that he has granted pardons in the past but emphasized that they typically follow a finding of guilt and contrition by the convicted individual. He also stated that he would give fair consideration to pardon requests.
It is important to note that Trump has not been convicted of any crimes at this time, and these discussions are hypothetical. The conversation surrounding Trump’s potential conviction and the candidates’ stances on the matter shed light on the complexities and divisions within the Republican Party.
Source: Caitlin O’Kane, CBS News
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