Ramaswamy vows to pardon Trump if elected in 2024
Indian American Republican White House aspirant accuses Biden of instructing DOJ to go after his political rival
As Donald Trump was indicted on charges related to classified documents, Indian American Republican White House aspirant Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to pardon the former President “promptly” if he were elected in 2024.
“It would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren’t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics,” Ramaswamy wrote in a post on Twitter. “I commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country.”
READ: Vivek Ramaswamy embraces American nationalist identity for 2024 race (June 7, 2023)
The 37-year-old biotech executive’s vow came after Trump claimed Thursday night that he had been notified he would be federally indicted in the classified documents probe led by special counsel Jack Smith.
The former president said he is due in federal court next Tuesday and called it “a dark day” for the country.
In a lengthy statement as cited by the Hill, Ramaswamy said there were “two tiers of justice” in play and echoed fellow Republicans in accusing President Joe Biden of instructing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to go after his political rival.
“I never thought we’d see the day when the US President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the middle of an election,” he wrote.
“This is an affront to every citizen: we cannot devolve into a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its political opponents,” Ramaswamy added. “It’s hypocritical for the DOJ to selectively prosecute Trump but not Biden.”
Like Ramaswamy, most other Republican presidential candidates have chosen, largely, to rally to Trump’s side, according to Politico.
READ: Vivek Ramaswamy wants to raise the voting age to 25 (May 12, 2023)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday night tweeted out criticism of federal law enforcement for indicting Trump on charges related to classified documents found at his Florida property and his handling of investigations into his retention of them.
He pledged to “bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all,” should he be elected president.
South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott said in an interview on Fox News shortly following news of Trump’s coming indictment that “lady justice has a blindfold on” and “what we’ve seen over the last several years is the weaponization of the department of justice against the former president.”
He then promised to “purge all of the injustices and impurities in our system” if elected.
However, Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said Trump’s actions shouldn’t be what defines the Republican Party. He called on him to drop out.
READ: Vivek Ramaswamy: from suspected vanity campaigner to a contender (May 10, 2023)
“While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction,” said Hutchinson. “This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie urged for cooler heads. “Let’s see what the facts are when any possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were. We will have more to say when the facts are revealed,” he tweeted.
Read: Vivek Ramaswamy enters Republican race for White House (February 22, 2023)
Read: Vivek Ramaswamy exploring 2024 presidential run (February 14, 2023)
