![GOP presidential hopeful warns of ‘tipping point’ if Donald Trump is arrested GOP presidential hopeful warns of ‘tipping point’ if Donald Trump is arrested](https://beckernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-20-021035-scaled.jpg)
A Republican presidential hopeful has been talking about the possible arrest of former President Donald Trump.
On Saturday, Vivek Ramaswamy hit out at an indictment and arrest warrant that could be issued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office this week.
“It is un-American for the ruling party to use police power to arrest their political rivals,” Ramaswamy, a tech entrepreneur, wrote on Twitter. “If a Republican prosecutor in 2004 had used a campaign finance technician to arrest then-candidate John Kerry while Bush and Cheney were in power, liberals would have cried foul, and rightfully so.”
“This will mark a dark moment in American history and undermine public confidence in our electoral system,” Ramaswamy wrote. “I urge the Manhattan District Attorney to reconsider this action and to put aside partisan politics in the service of preserving our constitutional republic.”
“Prosecutors should apply the same rules as they would anyone else: this would not have been a criminal prosecution in any other case (at most a misdemeanor),” he added. “Make no doubt about it. Our entire country is skating on thin ice right now and we cannot afford to politicize the justice system or we will reach our breaking point.”
Ramaswamy later held a press conference challenging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to appear and speak.
I held a press conference after my South Carolina speech. I called on GOP donor class favorites @RonDeSantisFL and @NikkiHaley to join me tomorrow at 9am to call on Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to drop political persecution by prosecuting the 45th… https ://t.co/UhXfV2ZroP pic.twitter.com/koSbMBwQRy
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) March 18, 2023
“I held a press conference after my South Carolina speech. I asked GOP donor class favorites @RonDeSantisFL & @NikkiHaley to join me tomorrow at 9am to ask Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg to abandon political persecution by prosecuting the 45th president,” he added.
On Sunday, Trump doubled down on his comments about Soros-backed Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and even accused President Joe Biden of being involved in a “witch hunt.”
“Biden wants to pretend he has nothing to do with the Manhattan DA’s assault on democracy when in fact he has ‘stuffed’ the DA’s office with people from the Department of Justice, including a top DOJ agent from DC who actually runs the “Horseface.” “The witch hunt,” Trump said. “Bragg is a reverse racist (Soros), who is taking his orders from DC. I beat them TWICE, did much better the second time, and despite their DISINFORMATION campaign, they don’t want to run against ‘TRUMP’ or my BIG GRAVA!”
“When Alvin Bragg came into office, he made it abundantly clear that, like many other prosecutors, there was no case against Donald J. Trump,” he continued. “Then the Biden administration, the Democrats and the fake news media started pushing him and pushing him hard, and low and behold he said there might only be one case after all. I knew what he meant: I was being pushed to do something that shouldn’t be done. I wasn’t ready to stand up to Soros and the Marxists who are destroying our country!”
“There was no ‘minor crime’ here either,” he continued. “There was no crime, period. Every other Democrat law enforcement officer who looked into it, it happened. So did Cy Vance, and so did Bragg. But then, much later, he changed his mind opinion. Wow, I wonder why? Fiscal misconduct and interference in an election. Investigate the investigators!”
The Manhattan prosecutor appeared to confirm there was some merit to Trump’s concerns by issuing a statement Saturday night saying his office will not be “intimidated” by a possible pushback.
“Please know that your safety is our highest priority,” Bragg’s email read in part. “We have full confidence in our outstanding security personnel and investigators, along with our great colleagues at the OCA and the NYPD, and we will continue to coordinate with all of them. We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.”
“Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threat against the office is fully investigated and that appropriate safeguards are in place so that all 1,600 of us have a safe work environment,” the email continued .
“This office is filled with the best public servants in the country,” the message added. “I am committed to maintaining a safe work environment where everyone can continue to serve the public with the same diligence and professionalism that make this institution so renowned. In the meantime, as with all our investigations, we will continue to apply the law fairly and equitably, and will speak publicly only when necessary.”
Constitutional lawyer Jonathan Turley is among critics of Trump’s prosecution who believe the charges against him are “violations of the law.”
“In this case, Trump paid Daniels $130,000 in the fall of 2016 to cut off or at least reduce any public scandal,” he added. “The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York had no love lost for Trump, pursuing him and his associates in a myriad of investigations, but ultimately declining a prosecution based on violations of the electoral law. He was not alone: the president of the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC) also expressed doubts about the theory.”
In addition, Hillary Clinton also violated FEC regulations regarding improperly claiming legal fees and only had to pay a fine.
“The Federal Election Commission has fined Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign and the Democratic National Committee over complaints they violated federal law by misreporting expenses to the law firm Perkins Coie, which later hired the firm of Fusion GPS investigation to dig up dirt on then-candidate Donald Trump,” Fox News reported at the time.
In 2013, former President Barack Obama was fined $375,000 for reporting campaign violations, one of the largest fines ever handed out by the FEC. Neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton were arrested.
The campaigns of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were asked to comment on the possible indictment and arrest of Donald Trump. This post will be updated accordingly as official statements from these candidates are released.
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Trump supporters are roasting DeSantis for his silence on the arrest rumors
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OPINION: This article contains comments that reflect the opinion of the author.