Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan expressed his disappointment with the majority of Republican presidential candidates during a recent debate. Hogan highlighted that six out of the eight candidates on stage pledged their support to former President Donald Trump even if he is convicted in his ongoing criminal cases.
Hogan described this moment as the “lowlight of the entire debate” during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. At the debate, when asked by Fox News moderators, Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and former Vice President Mike Pence all raised their hands in support of Trump’s potential presidential candidacy despite any legal convictions.
Expressing his concerns, Hogan stated, “I mean, I was embarrassed and disgusted by the fact that, you know, look, we’ve got to let the court cases play themselves out. We can’t, everybody is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But no man is above the law, not even the president of the United States.”
Only former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson refrained from raising their hands. Christie commented, “Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct,” while Hutchinson noted that Trump was “morally disqualified” from holding the presidency again.
Hogan praised Christie and Hutchinson for upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. He expressed amazement at the fact that six candidates were willing to support a convicted felon’s bid for the White House, calling it “beyond comprehension.” Hogan further highlighted the irony that convicted felons are often stripped of their voting rights in many states, yet some would advocate for their potential presidency.
The debate took place against the backdrop of former President Trump’s ongoing legal troubles. Trump is expected to surrender himself to the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on charges stemming from his fourth criminal case. Alongside 18 co-defendants, Trump faces significant charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 general election.