"Another disastrous Trump indictment": GOP candidates react to Georgia charges
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Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 12. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Some of former President Trump's Republican rivals in the 2024 presidential primaries offered mixed reactions to his fourth indictment, with a handful criticizing the GOP frontrunner.
Driving the news: An Atlanta grand jury unveiled sweeping charges Monday against Trump and 18 allies over alleged efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results — a case that many close to Trump have feared most imperils him.
How GOP rivals are responding
Vivek Ramaswamy: The entrepreneur criticized the Georgia prosecutors and described the news as "another disastrous Trump indictment."
- Ramaswamy also offered lengthy legal advice to Trump on how he should defend himself.
- "As someone who's running for President against Trump, I'd volunteer to write the amicus brief to the court myself," Ramaswamy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Asa Hutchinson: "Over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump's actions disqualified him from ever serving as President again," the former Arkansas governor said in a statement Monday.
- "Those words are more true today than ever before."
Will Hurd: Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd said in a statement Tuesday that the indictment was "another example of how the former president's baggage will hand Joe Biden reelection if Trump is the Republican nominee."
- Hurd added that Trump would use his fourth indictment to "manipulate Americans into paying his legal bills."
Tim Scott: Sen. Tim Scott told reporters Tuesday that "we've seen the legal system being weaponized against political opponents, that is un-American and unacceptable."
Ron DeSantis: The Florida governor told reporters on a press call Tuesday that he hadn't yet read the full indictment but said it illustrated the "criminalization of politics."
- "I don't think this is something that's good for the country," he added.
Mike Pence: The former vice president said at an event Wednesday that Trump and his allies "are entitled to the presumption of innocence that every American enjoys" regarding the allegations in the indictment.
- "Despite what the former president and his allies have said now for more than two and a half years and continue to insist to this very hour, the Georgia election was not stolen, and I had no right to overturn the election," Pence said.
The scope of the Georgia case
The Georgia case is the most sprawling and complex criminal case against Trump thus far, offering a sharp contrast to the indictments rolled out by special counsel Jack Smith, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.
- Willis' case uses Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges that tie together 161 acts — and that a president can't pardon.
Of note: Trump's court proceedings in Georgia could be the only ones that are televised.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with statements from Sen. Tim Scott, Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.
