Will Republicans support Trump in 2024 if he is convicted of crimes? They are divided

[ad_1]

WASHINGTON Congressional Republicans are at odds over whether to support their party’s presidential front-runner, Donald Trump, next year if he is convicted of federal crimes.

While some GOP lawmakers say they cannot support a convicted felon for the White House, others are reluctant to close the door. The divisions straddle ideological lines, with some of the most right-leaning Republicans expressing dismay at supporting Trump after a hypothetical conviction after he became the first former president to be indicted on federally, while various center-right GOP members say their responses will depend on the circumstances.

Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, one of the most conservative House Republicans, said he would not be OK with having a convicted felon as the GOPs 2024 nominee.

Nope. Actually, on the surface, I wouldn’t. It doesn’t look good, Burchett said. But let’s see what the conviction says. Let’s see if he is convicted.

Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who has criticized GOP leaders from the right, said a felony conviction would be a deal breaker.

I certainly would not support a convicted felon for the White House, Buck said Tuesday on CNN.

Under the US legal system, Trump is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts involving the mishandling of classified documents.

Most of the 18 House Republicans who represent competitive districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020 have remained silent or avoided discussing the charges. Democrats have sought to use the issue against them politically by casting the Trump-supporting GOP as a party that opposes law enforcement.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was the exception to that group, saying there was “no way to defend” Trump’s alleged behavior laid out in the indictment.

Other Republicans in prominent positions kept their options open, for now, when asked whether a criminal conviction would cost Trump their support in the 2024 general election.

Will cross that bridge when it comes, said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who chairs the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee.

Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., a close ally of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who helped negotiate debt ceiling legislation in the White House, said a potential felony conviction will affect his ability to support a presidential candidate, as long as that person goes through legitimate due process.

Graves added: I’ll say that again: a legitimate due process.

Behind the scenes, in the quiet corridors on Capitol Hill, the possibility that a convicted felon could become their party’s presidential nominee is more concerning.

I think there’s a fair number of my colleagues who would think that, if the allegations are true, that would be a big, big problem, said a House Republican lawmaker who is still reading the indictment and asked that anonymous to speak candidly about the thorny party dynamics involving Trump.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., who regularly has access to reams of classified information, is also trying to sidestep the issue.

Let the courts play out, and I’ll figure out what to do after that. I’m not involved in it, Rogers said in an interview. Asked if he had concerns about the underlying allegations in the indictment, he replied: I have no position.

Most Republicans, including McCarthy and many of his top deputies, are attacking the indictment and have indicated that the outcome of the case will have little effect on their thinking.

Rep. said. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who has endorsed Trump for president, will have to wait and see what happens before he decides whether a conviction will cause him to withdraw his support.

It all depends on what actually happens. I’m not focused on that, because I’ve seen it in other instances where the courts do something and they get it wrong, Donalds said.

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., a member of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, said he endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president because I think he gives us our best chance to win 24. But he said Trump is an outstanding president; I would enthusiastically support him again, regardless of the potential conviction, and he called the charges a political attack.

I will support whoever our nominee is. And it’s been a ridiculous, political attack on President Trump that’s been relentless and relentless for the last seven or eight years, Good said.

The charges do not appear to have affected Trump’s strong support within the GOP base, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in the immediate aftermath of Trump’s indictment and released Wednesday, which found Trump leading DeSantis, his closest rival, by 53% to 23% among Republican voters.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who traveled to New Jersey on Tuesday to attend Trump’s post-arraignment speech, stood by his support for Trump in 2024 and downplayed the accusation. It’s all politics. He understands that. It’s not his first rodeo, Tuberville said, adding that he had dinner with Trump on Tuesday.

He’s disappointed that he’s been accused, Tuberville said, insisting that Trump is being targeted for something everyone has done in terms of mishandling classified information.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, was reluctant to criticize Trump. Instead, Gonzales, who worked for 20 years as a Navy cryptologist with top-secret clearance, said he took issue with the way service members are prosecuted for mishandling classified material while some politicians are neglected.

I put them all together. I lump Trump, Clinton, Biden, Pence, whoever handled classified material wrongly, Gonzales said. It seems OK if you’re a political figure, but if you’re an everyday, average American protecting our country, which I was for 20 years, it’s a different set of rules.

Rep. George Santos, RN.Y., who knows what it’s like to be sued by federal prosecutors, remains a strong Trump defender. He was indicted last month on 13 counts, including wire fraud, money laundering and making numerous false statements to win elections to Congress and enrich himself. But he declined to provide hypotheticals if Trump is convicted.

Is this the only time to make hyperbole? Would, could, should? Ask me a question with facts, said Santos in a short interview outside the House floor. I don’t know the future. Do you know the future? I support the president.”

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who said Trump “brought these charges on himself” and is the only Republican senator to vote twice to convict Trump on impeachment charges, said it would be bad if the a major political party will nominate a convicted criminal. for the president.

Obviously, that would be a worrying thing for the world. I think it will be more difficult for former President Trump to get re-elected. Winning the primary should not be difficult for him. Winning the general is a tall order, depending, of course, on other circumstances that may develop, Romney said. But there will be people in the middle, if you’re Republicans who voted for Donald Trump in the past but are too concerned about behavior to have to look the other way and vote for him again.

[ad_2]