(Headline USA) GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy challenged his opponents this week to commit to pardoning former President Donald Trump if elected.
Ramaswamy said during a Monday press conference that he would pardon Trump of the 37 charges brought against him by a federal grand jury this weekend and slammed the case as a political hitjob.
“The use of police force by a sitting U.S. President against his chief political rival in the midst of a presidential election sets a dangerous precedent in our country,” Ramaswamy said in a press release.
“There are now two standards of justice depending on your political viewpoints. That’s the single greatest threat to our constitutional republic today.”
The candidate then sent a letter to every one of the campaigns challenging President Joe Biden for the White House and urged them to sign a pledge to pardon Trump.
“If President Trump is prosecuted in a manner that effectively prevents him from running, this will permanently damage public trust in our electoral process and our justice system,” the letter reads. “Whoever among us is elected, our job of reuniting the nation will become daunting – if not impossible.”
When asked last week whether he would pardon Trump if elected, former Vice President Mike Pence declined to answer the question, calling it a “hypothetical.”
“I don’t want to speak about hypotheticals,” Pence said during a CNN town hall. “I’m not sure I’m going to be elected president of the United States. I believe we have a fighting chance. I really believe we do.”
Earlier this week, Ramaswamy filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking communications between the White House and Justice Department regarding Trump’s indictment.
“The existence, timing, and content of the indictment all necessitate both this request and, one would hope, a completely open and forthright response,” the FOIA request read.
