Vivek Ramaswamy has called on all other presidential candidates to pledge to pardon 45th President Donald Trump if elected president or else explain to the public why they would not pardon the former president.
Speaking in Miami hours before Trump would be indicted, Ramaswamy extended his call from last week, when he had declared that if he took office in January 2025, he would pardon President Trump for the federal charges that Biden’s Justice Department brought upon the 45th President over potential mishandling of classified documents.
“I have challenged, I have demanded, that every other candidate in this race, either sign this commitment to pardon on January 20th 2025, or else to explain why they are not,” Ramaswamy said, calling on both Republicans and Democrats to join him in his pledge to pardon Trump.
I challenge every US Presidential candidate to join me in standing for TRUTH. Commit to pardon Donald Trump for these federal charges on Day 1, or explain why you won’t. No one should hide. Not Biden. Not DeSantis. Not Haley. Not Pence. Not RFK. Not Scott. Not anyone. Principles… pic.twitter.com/qYP3fUrE5R
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 13, 2023
“If you’re not going to pardon President Trump in January 2025, you deserve to say why, and we will hold you accountable, just as we’re holding the Biden administration accountable,” he added. “That’s what we need more of in this country. Honesty, integrity, and actual purpose for our country in a way that puts America first, not our political interests first.”
Ramaswamy noted that it would be a “lot easier” for him if President Trump was not running against him for president, but that he doesn’t want to win this election, “unlike others, by eliminating our competition, by a federal administrative police state arresting my opponents.”
“I will tell you something, it’s going to be difficult for those other candidates to sign this letter,” Ramaswamy argued, noting that the “donor class has been calling every Republican candidate, and telling us to stay away from this, not to touch it with a 10 foot pole, to keep your distance away from Trump.”
The businessman suggested that instead of being a “disciple” of the donor class, Republicans should instead “declare independence” from them.
Vivek Ramaswamy: "The donor class has been calling every Republican candidate and telling us to stay away from this…I refuse to abide by being a disciple of the donor class!" pic.twitter.com/FOfA24xDTv
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 13, 2023
On Monday, the Ramaswamy campaign had also filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the federal government, asking for all records “within the possession of the United States Department of Justice concerning the decision to bring a criminal indictment against President Donald J Trump.”
“The [DOJ’s] recent indictment of President Donald J Trump raises grave concerns that [the] DOJ is being politicised and weaponised against the political opponents of the sitting President of the United States,” the request letter said. “The existence, timing and content of the indictment all necessitate both this request and, one would hope, a completely open and forthright response.”
Speaking on CNN, he said that it was “shameful” that he has to ask questions about the indictment “that the media isn’t asking. The job of the political media, if it has one job, is to hold the US government accountable, and instead we’re doing the bidding. Ask the question. Get to the bottom of what Biden told Garland, and what Garland told Jack Smith.”
My campaign just filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) demand to uncover *exactly* what the White House communicated to Merrick Garland & Jack Smith about the unprecedented indictment of a former U.S. President & Biden’s disfavored opponent in this election. Every American… pic.twitter.com/bnwmn6jGYZ
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 12, 2023
In a statement to Truth Social on Monday, President Trump responded to the indictment by saying that he would “appoint a real special ‘prosecutor’ to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the USA, Joe Biden, the entire Biden crime family, & all others involved with the destruction of our elections, borders, & country itself!”
