OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A 2024 Republican candidate for president is calling for former President Donald Trump to drop out of the upcoming presidential race amid the ongoing investigations surrounding him.
Former Arkansas Gov. 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.”
“Anyone who truly loves this country and is willing to put the country over themselves would suspend their campaign for president of the United States immediately,” Hutchinson said. “I believe that Donald Trump has done great harm to our rule of law in this country, and to federal law enforcement.”
Trump “has undermined [federal law enforcement’s] credibility in the eyes of the public. He has continued his victimization, and it has harmed our support from law enforcement and the confidence that Americans seem to have in the criminal justice system,” Hutchinson said.
The longshot Republican has been calling for Trump to drop out for months.
During a recent 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.
WATCH:
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
