Donald Trump is running for election in 2024 “because he’s trying to stay out of jail”, one of his rivals for the Republican White House nomination said, as legal woes continue to surround the former president.
Will Hurd, a former Republican congressman for Texas, offered the sharp rebuke of Trump’s conduct in an interview with CNN, as Chris Christie questioned whether “the guy under indictment in four different cases” can beat the Democratic incumbent Joe Biden.
The criticism of Trump, who is comfortably leading in Republican polls, came as several primary candidates – including the former president – have refused to sign a pledge committing to support the ultimate GOP nominee.
On Sunday, Hurd was asked about a CNN report that Trump’s legal team was connected to a voting system breach in Georgia in January 2021. CNN reported that prosecutors had found text messages and emails documenting an effort by Trump’s team to gain “unauthorized access to voting systems” in Coffee county.
“I think this is an example of how this is not about the first amendment,” Hurd told CNN’s State of the Union while referring to the constitutional protection for political speech. “This is about a president trying to overturn an election and creating a conspiracy.
“To me, it’s an indication of how fragile our election system is, and how Donald Trump’s efforts were making us increase our lack of trust in our systems.
“And [it is] one more example of why Donald Trump is running for president: because he’s trying to stay out of jail. Because as more of this information comes out and as the American people recognizes the extent of his baggage, they’re getting sick and tired of it.”
Speaking to ABC’s This Week show, Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who is running for the GOP nomination, drew attention to the fact that Trump has, so far, been indicted three times, with a pending fourth on state election-related charges in Georgia.
“Let me remind the viewers out there: if he’s indicted in Atlanta this week, as we’re anticipating that he will be, we will have the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president out on bail in four different jurisdictions: New York, Miami, Washington, and Atlanta. Four different jurisdictions he’s out on bail,” Christie said, referring to the cities where the combination of federal and state authorities who have obtained charges against Trump are based.
“What I think Republican voters have to ask themselves is two things. First is: is he really the guy, under indictment in four different cases given the conduct that he committed, someone who can beat Joe Biden or any other Democrat in November 2024?
“And when are we going to stop pretending that this is normal? It is not. It is not acceptable.”
The criticism of Trump rolled in as several Republican primary candidates have refused to sign a pledge committing to support the ultimate GOP nominee.
Addressing the refusal of some of her party’s candidates to sign the “Beat Biden pledge”, Republican National Committee chairperson Ronna McDaniel has said endorsing pledge is required to participate in the first GOP primary debate next week.
Hurd, who is yet to meet the polling and donor threshold to make the debate stage, has repeatedly said he will not sign the pledge.
“My issue is, I’m not going to support Donald Trump,” Hurd told CNN.
Indignantly invoking the former president’s slogan, Hurd added: “Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again. Donald Trump is running for president to stay out of prison.”
Candidates must have reached 1% in at least three national polls – or 1% in two national polls and 1% in a poll in an early-voting state – to participate in the upcoming Republican debate. They must also prove they have 40,000 unique donors and then sign the loyalty pledge.
Christie, who has met the polling and donor threshold, told ABC the pledge was a “bad idea” and would not commit to signing it.
Trump himself has said he will not sign the pledge and has not committed to participating in the 23 August debate.
“Why would I sign it?” Trump said in an interview with the rightwing news channel Newsmax last week. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”
