GOP Sen. Mitt Romney says Biden should have pardoned Trump
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
May 15, 2024, 6:22 PM UTCBy Summer Concepcion and Stephanie Ruhle
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, argued that President Joe Biden should have pardoned Donald Trump after the Justice Department brought indictments against the former president and pressured New York prosecutors not to pursue Trump's ongoing hush money trial.
In an exclusive interview on MSNBC's "The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle," Romney expressed his dismay in response to Republican lawmakers, including the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's vice presidential prospects, rallying to Trump's defense outside of the Manhattan courthouse where Trump's hush money trial is taking place.
"How does that make you feel about Republicans?" Ruhle asked Romney.
Romney, a vocal critic of Trump, said, "I think it's a terrible fault, for our country to see people attacking our legal system — that's an enormous mistake," he said. "I think it's also demeaning for people to quite, apparently, try and run for vice president by donning the red tie and standing outside the courthouse and it's just— I felt awkward."
The Utah Republican argued that Biden should have pardoned Trump when the Justice Department announced charges against him and that the current president "made an enormous error" by not pressuring New York prosecutors to drop their case against Trump. (Presidents can only pardon in federal cases).
"He should have fought like crazy to keep this prosecution from going forward," Romney said, referring to Biden. "It was a win-win for Donald Trump."
Pressed by Ruhle whether that is Biden's job to pardon Trump, Romney said he believes that Biden should have taken a cue from former President Lyndon B. Johnson, saying that the president could have stepped in and urged New York prosecutors to drop the case.
"I've been around for a while, if LBJ had been president, and he didn't want something like this to happen, he'd have been all over that prosecutor saying, 'You better not bring that forward or I'm gonna drive you out of office,'" he said.
Ruhle then noted that Romney supports having separate but equal branches of government.
"I do. ... I mean, you may disagree with this, but had I been President Biden, when the Justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him ... President Trump. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person I pardoned a little guy."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Trump's potential vice presidential picks issued public remarks in front of the Manhattan courthouse where Trump is required to attend court proceedings in the hush money trial against him, expressing their support and loyalty for him as the trial limits his time on the campaign trail. The potential VP picks, which include Ohio Sen. JD Vance and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, have echoed, without evidence, Trump's accusations of the trial being a Democrat-led effort to interfere with his campaign.
Biden and Trump on Wednesday agreed to participate in general election debates in June and September, at least the first of which will not have a live audience. Asked whether debates matter today and if he thinks it would impact votes, Romney, who unsuccessfully ran for president against Barack Obama in 2012, said he has "low expectations" for Biden but "much higher expectations" about Trump.
"The image that comes to mind is those two old guys on the Muppets, you know, that sat in the back that — Statler and Waldorf — that comes to mind, but I actually think there'll be a huge audience for these debates," he said. "I think people have very low expectations as to what President Biden will do. I think they have much higher expectations about President Trump and his competitiveness."
Romney added that he has had "good exchanges" with Biden and that Trump "seems energetic and forceful" during his rallies, but he's unsure about what to expect when they go head to head during debates.
"You got a cheering crowd and you got teleprompters you could read, so how will they do in person?" Romney said, referring to presidential campaign rallies. "I don't know the answer to that, but I think America will be watching."
Summer Concepcion
Summer Concepcion is a politics reporter for NBC News.
Stephanie Ruhle
Stephanie Ruhle is host of "The 11th Hour" on MSNBC.
Jesse Rodriguez contributed.
No MAGA
No Fascist BS
Tags
Who is online
473 visitors
I wonder if our leftist friends still love Mitt now?
They never loved him.
He was just convenient to push their TDS driven narrative.
Now that he has "turned" expect them to drag the "dog in cage on roof of car" articles; and companies that his asset stripping bought tested on animals.
If he was smart he would have kept his mouth shut. It isn't like he will ever be a member of the US government again.
He's back to being a Nazi.
Once he's safely dead they can start whining about how there's "no decent Republicans like Romney" anymore. Just like Goldwater. Democrats loved him once he was safely dead.
That is true.
Democrats and leftists are pining for the party of Reagan now.
If there is ever another Republican like Reagan that comes to prominence he will be vilified the same way Reagan was when he was alive.
See what wearing that fancy underwear to bed does do you Mitt? You lose your mind in the folds.
And there she blows!
Didn't take long for someone to attack his religion.
How utterly predictable.
I'm delighted that you came to the defense, I would not have expected less.
When MItt and the gang stop with the Laminites BS I'll stop until then, stand by, Ronin.
the white horse prophecy turned up lame. he should go find a mackerel snapper cemetery and re-baptize some dead people...
Biden, if he were a stand up guy, should absolutely pardon Trump for mishandling classified documents, since his own DOJ gave him a pass for the exact same crime.
Not just Brandon got a pass; but his ghost writer as well. Who not only had possession of classified evidence that Brandon gave him for his book; but destroyed evidence as well.
Seems that Clinton, Brandon, Obama, and their satellites can mishandle and hold classified information for years; but not Trump.
oh look, a spring blizzard of false equivalencies has begun ...
Only false to those that don't believe in the Constitution or law.
It looks like a complete white out.
almost like their party...
pardons are for the guilty. good luck getting trump to admit he's guilty of anything...
No Democrat will ever be pardon.
You would have to get their ass charged and dragged into a court of law first. Just ask Brandon, Hunter, Hillary, Bill, and Obama.
please be coherent if you expect a reply, thanks.
thanks for the edit...
Doesn't one have to be convicted of a crime before a pardon is granted?
And please don't throw Ford and Nixon in my face. That was a dirty deal
No, The president can pardon anyone at any time after a crime has been committed, he cannot pardon someone for future crimes that they haven't committed yet.
please state what crime(s) you think trump has committed.
Donald Trump wouldnt piss on Mitt Romney if his coiffed hair was on fire.
Romney lives in a dream like alternate reality. He seems to think that Trump's political prospects would have been lessened if he was pardoned.
In reality if that happened Trump would have claimed total victory and it wouldnt have effected him politically one iota.
Politically, Romney is probably correct. Morally, ethically, legally, and for the good of the nation, Trump should be held accountable for trying to steal the election through fraud, coercion, lying, and incitement. That is a horrible precedent that will continue to bring harm to this nation if Trump is never held accountable.
Given Romney's argument, I can see how it would have been beneficial for Biden to actively eliminate lawsuits on Trump but leave the Jan 6th and classified documents lawsuits stand. And of those two, the Jan 6th lawsuit (which essentially includes GA) is substantially more important.
Maybe not but it would make a great bumper sticker.
a pardon for trump only after agreeing to plead guilty to every outstanding charge on every indictment. agreement to forsake every and all post presidential perks, such as retirement pay and allowances, secret service protection, his presidential library, any official viewing on government property or a state funeral. agreement to immediately drop out of the POTUS race prior to the pardon, signing an official document and posting a performance bond representing the value of all his assets to never serve in any government job, appointment, or elected office in the US again.