At a recent GOP gathering in Florida, Asa Hutchinson — a former federal prosecutor and former governor of Arkansas who’s been running for president — predicted to the crowd that legal peril involving former President Donald Trump could “weaken the GOP for decades to come.” As Hutchinson, whose presidential bid has not gained much traction, was sharing his perspective, the crowd booed.
“As someone who’s been in the courtroom for over 25 years as a federal prosecutor, and also in defending some of the most serious federal criminal cases, I can say that there is a significant likelihood that Donald Trump will be found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year,” Hutchinson said, adding: “It will make a difference for our chances to attract independent voters in November. It will make a difference for those down-ticket races for Congress and Senate. And it will weaken the GOP for decades to come.”
The crowd just kept booing, though Hutchinson didn’t seem particularly fazed. In the meantime, it’s basically just a guessing game as to how precisely the 2024 general election will transpire with Biden and Trump facing each other for a second time, which is generally expected absent some dramatic incapacitation affecting Trump stemming from one of his four criminal cases. Some polling shows a lead for Biden, while some shows a lead for Trump, suggesting at least for now that the results could be somewhat close like they were back in 2020. (Though Biden led by millions of votes nationally, he clinched key states that gave him a winning margin in the electoral college by thin margins.)
In the meantime, Republicans mostly keep sticking by a guy who continues to spread the conspiracy theories that spurred the January 6 violence and who often expresses support for individual participants in that assault. Imagine the outrage that would be emanating from the GOP if a Democrat’s lies directly spurred a savage attack on police at the Capitol leading to ongoing criminal cases nearly three years later, amid which the original liar frequently supports the defendants.
Asa Hutchinson loudly booed at the Florida Freedom Summit for telling the crowd that “there is a significant likelihood that Donald Trump will be found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year.” pic.twitter.com/bdTZgJjLZc
— Veronica Stracqualursi (@VeronicaStrac) November 4, 2023
