Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley reiterated her plans Sunday to pardon rival Donald Trump should she win the White House in November and if he gets convicted of criminal charges.
“I believe, in the best interest of bringing the country together, I would pardon Donald Trump. Because I think it’s important for the country to move on,” Haley, 52, said during a Fox News town hall.
The former South Carolina governor underscored that any decision on clemency for the 77-year-old Trump would be “not a matter of innocence or guilt at that point because that means he would have already been found guilty.”
Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations for 23 months, has repeatedly expressed her intention to exercise the pardon power toward her former boss.
However, she has also rejected the possibility of granting Trump a pre-emptive pardon.
Nikki Haley vowed to pardon Donald Trump if he gets convicted and she wins the presidency. REUTERS
In 1974, former President Gerald Ford granted his predecessor, Richard Nixon, an unconditional pardon that shielded him from criminal liability in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal.
Trump, 77, is facing 91 criminal counts across four separate indictments. His first criminal case, accusing him of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments, is set to head to trial on March 25 in Manhattan.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges lodged against him and has denied wrongdoing.
Last week, a judge ordered Trump to cough up $355 million for civil fraud, a price tag which could be pushed to $450 million with interest.
Last month, the 45th president was ordered to pay $83.3 million in damages to advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Donald Trump has rumped the field in every Republican contest he’s competed in so far. AFP via Getty Images
Haley has escalated her attacks on Trump over recent weeks, assailing him for dumping campaign cash to foot the bill for his legal fees, and warning that his “chaos” will cost Republicans dearly at the ballot box.
“I’m running against him because I don’t think he should be president,” Haley told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “I don’t think he’s the right person at the right time.”
In that interview, Haley declined to say whether she intends to vote for Trump, a course to which she previously committed last year.
The former South Carolina is the last Republican rival still standing against Donald Trump. REUTERS
Nikki Haley’s allies are hoping for a strong showing in South Carolina to prove that she is viable. ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
On Monday, Haley also admonished Trump for “denouncing America and comparing our country to Russia” in his response to the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.
Trump broke his multi-day silence on Navalny’s death Monday, likening it to his own legal troubles and refraining from mentioning Russian President Vladimir Putin by name.
The 45th president has, in turn, ramped up his attacks on Haley, periodically calling her “birdbrain,” bashing her husband, peddling birther conspiracies, and seething over her refusal to quit the race.
“I will never give up,” Haley vowed during a campaign stop in Rock Hill, SC over the weekend while pushing back against calls for her to drop out.
Trump has won 63 delegates to Haley’s 17 and is by far the favorite in every remaining GOP contest, the next of which is set to take place in her home state of South Carolina on Feb. 24.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2024/02/19/us-news/haley-reaffirms-plans-to-pardon-trump-as-feud-with-him-intensifies/