Asa Hutchinson, the former Republican governor of Arkansas and a long-shot contender for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, became the first major member of the party to call for former President Donald Trump to withdraw from the race following his indictment Thursday for mishandling classified documents. “While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction. This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign,” Hutchinson said in a statement. Thursday’s indictment was Trump’s second in as many months—and represents the first time an American president has faced federal charges after leaving office.
See below for Governor Hutchinson’s statement on Donald Trump’s recent indictment: pic.twitter.com/x4jfWJe38R
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) June 9, 2023
