Indictment ignored, Trump barely a mention, as GOP candidates pitch Iowa voters to challenge him
The Hindu
GOP hopefuls in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ignore Trump's indictment, focus on presenting themselves as alternatives. Despite Trump's popularity, candidates avoid attacking him directly, instead calling for revamping DOJ and enforcing rule of law. Only Haley and Johnson mention Trump, Haley in anecdote and Johnson in pledge to pardon.
Few even mentioned his name and the new federal indictment he faces was completely ignored, as Republican candidates for President tried in Iowa on August 6 to present themselves as Donald Trump alternatives.
Over the course of two hours, seven GOP hopefuls took their turn on stage in front of about 800 party activists in the leadoff caucus State, all invited to speak at Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson's fundraising barbecue at a Cedar Rapids racetrack.
But in their pitches to challenge Mr. Trump for the 2024 nomination, it was as if his indictment on August 1 on federal charges accusing him of working to overturn the 2020 election results had never happened, even from the candidate who has suggested the former president quit the race.
Instead, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has been a vocal Trump critic, touched only on the related Republican outrage with the Department of Justice, which many conservative activists allege has been politically biased in its investigation of Trump. The former President is also facing federal charges filed in June accusing him of improperly keeping sensitive documents in his Florida home and obstructing efforts to recover them.
Ms. Hutchinson on August 6 only called for revamping the Department of Justice and in a popular applause line for GOP candidates promised to name a new head of the department.
“And yes, I would get a new attorney general that would enforce the rule of law in a way that is fair for our country,” said Ms. Hutchinson, earning polite applause from the audience.
Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has warned that Republicans will lose next year by looking backwards and repeating Mr. Trump's false claims the 2020 election was stolen, came only as close as saying, “The time for excuses is over.”
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