![Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy duked it out Tuesday with Fox News' Neil Cavuto over the possibly third Trump indictment. [Screenshot Fox News]](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-18-at-9.58.23-PM-e1689732540202.png "Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy duked it out Tuesday with Fox News' Neil Cavuto over the possibly third Trump indictment. [Screenshot Fox News]")
Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy sparred Tuesday with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto over the possible third Trump indictment.
Former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he had received a letter from special prosecutor Jack Smith on Sunday. Trump stated he is a “TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury Investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment.”
Ramaswamy said a potential indictment “would be a disaster” and called it politically motivated. Cavuto then brought up comments Ramaswamy made following the Jan. 6 riot in which he condemned the behavior and called out Trump personally.
“I’m just wondering what changed?”
“Actually nothing changed, Neil. I’ve been very consistent in every step including in the video that I put out today, that I would have made different judgments than Donald Trump did on January 6, 2021. Mind you I’m running—”
“At the time you said what Trump did was wrong,” Cavuto interjected.
“Absolutely. He was wrong. Neil, this is — and I’m unequivocal today. There’s a different between doing something wrong, as he did, versus doing something that is illegal. I think the dangerous abuse of power in this country, Neil, is converting every bad judgment, every wrong behavior and wrong judgment into something that is criminal when it’s politically convenient. So I respectfully disagree with you, Neil.”
“This is something more than just a bad judgment. If even prosecutors pursuing this case are right that he galvanized a crowd to do what they did, does he bear some responsibility for that as the leader of the country, the commander-in-chief?”
“On the facts as we have them, I don’t think he should bear criminal responsibility. I think that that would be a disastrous precedent in this country. I think what really fueled January 6th, Neil, was a year of censorship, systematic censorship, telling people that they couldn’t talk about Covid lockdowns, telling people they couldn’t talk about the Hunter Biden laptop story on the eve of a presidential election. I think that’s a big part of the pent-up frustration that showed up January 6–”
Ramaswamy continued by arguing that people got frustrated about “systematic suppression of information” which led to the riot.
“You don’t think it’s criminal behavior on the part of the president, should it disqualify him for running from president again?” Cavuto then asked.
“I think it should be an issue that the voters weigh when they make their decision.”
“I’m asking you,” Cavuto pressed.
“I’m making my case to the people, Neil. I do not think it should disqualify him legally from running. I think it should affect the decisions that voters make at the ballot box because that’s how we do things in the United States of America. The people of this country decide who leads them through a democratic process in our constitutional republic,” Ramaswamy said. “So should voters take into account when deciding? Absolutely. I’m making my case in the same election that Trump is and I intend to win, Neil, but I want to win by convincing voters of why they should vote for me, not by having the federal police state eliminate my competition. That’s why I stand on principal. And I say the same thing today that I have at every step of the way.”
“You’ve also been on record as saying you would pardon the president … Do you still stand by that? There’s a lot of people that do not like what went down and don’t think you’re in a position to become president to go ahead and pardon him?” (RELATED: CNN Anchors Gush Over Jack Smith Eating Subway Sandwich After Trump News)
“I don’t like what went down, Neil. What I really care about is moving our country forward. And I think that it is an awful precedent in the United States to set the conditions for tug of war between political parties—”
“You’d have a lot to pardon him for. Three cases, maybe a fourth that could build with Georgia and his alleged role there trying to influence that election. Would you pardon him for all of those?”
“Well, the Georgia case has not been brought. But for the two indictments that have been brought as well as the facts as they’re known about January 6th and Neil, I’m a guy who responds to facts and matches them to the law. But for the two indictments that have been brought, I have committed, you’re correct, that I would pardon him. And I think that that is in the national interest to move forward as a nation,” Ramaswamy said. “There are other candidates in this field that would like to see Trump eliminated. I want to win this election but I’m not one of them that wants to win that way. I want to win by convincing the voters.”
Trump was indicted on 37 charges regarding his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Trump was also indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in relation to his former attorney Michael Cohen, who allegedly paid $130,000 in hush money to former porn star Stormy Daniels.