Trump legal woes force another moment of choosing for GOP
Many party leaders defend former president as charges loom
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — From the moment he rode down the Trump Tower escalator to announce his first presidential campaign, a searing question has hung over the Republican Party: Is this the moment to break from Donald Trump?
Elected Republicans have wavered at times — whether it was Trump's condemnation of John McCain's war record, his racist attack against a MexicanAmerican judge, his sexually predatory language caught on video, his alleged extramarital affairs, his decision to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence, his promotion of false allegations of election fraud and his incitement of a violent mob that threatened the lives of lawmakers in both parties.
But after almost eight years of near-constant scandal, Republicans have ultimately rallied behind Trump over and over and over again.
Now, on the eve of a new presidential campaign season, that loyalty is being tested anew as Trump prepares for the possibility that he may soon become the first former U.S. president charged with a crime. New York prosecutors are wrapping up their probe into whether Trump engaged in an illegal hush money scheme involving a porn actress.
"This is another moment — not just this indictment, but the others likely to follow — where Republicans have the opportunity break with to
Trump," said Sarah Longwell, a vocal Republican Trump critic and founder of the Republican Accountability Project. "If they fail to do so, they'll have no one to blame but themselves when Trump is the nominee again."
So far, at least, the vast majority of the Republican Party appears to have made its choice.
As charges loom, many party leaders have begun to defend the former president — even as other Republicans with far less baggage line up against him in the nascent 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, a likely presidential contender, said over the weekend that Americans don't want to see Trump indicted. Another 2024 Republican prospect, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, said there is a sense that the former president is being unfairly attacked. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a frequent Trump critic also eyeing a White House bid, also said New York prosecutors may be unfairly prosecuting Trump.
There are cracks support, however.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump's strongest prospective rival, offered a mixed assessment when asked to address the potential indictment on Monday.
"I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair," DeSantis said as some in the audience laughed uncomfortably. "But what I can speak to is that if you in such have a prosecutor who is ignoring crimes happening every single day in his jurisdiction and he chooses to go back many many years ago to try to use something about porn star hush money payments, that's an example of pursuing a political agenda and weaponizing the office. And I think that's fundamentally wrong."
The ordeal has pushed Republicans back into an uncomfortably familiar place -playing defense for Trump as he grapples with another scandal. The situation dominated the conversation at the House GOP conference in Orlando, where dozens of congressional Republicans gathered this week.
Many hoped to focus on the party's legislative priorities and achievements three months into the House majority. Instead, they faced repeated questions about the implications of Trump's latest legal woes.
Republican lawmakers eager to highlight the party's gain with Hispanic voters were cornered -in Spanish and English -- by questions about Trump's legal troubles and whether he's still the leader of the party.
"Obviously I have great respect for the former president of the United States," Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., told The Associated Press. "But as far as who the leader of the party is, I will tell you right now, I think the leader of the party is the speaker of the House. It's the highest ranking elected."