Kasich: Trump’s desire for DOJ to prosecute Clinton ‘head-shaking, head-scratching’

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said late Tuesday that President Trump’s reported request to prosecute 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey was “another head-shaking, head-scratching move.” 

“I am no longer sort of surprised by anything,” Kasich, one of Trump’s most vocal critics in the GOP, said on CNN’s “OutFront.”  

“I’ve got no idea what that was about. It was just another head-shaking, head-scratching move that we see.”

The New York Times reported that Trump this past spring told then-White House counsel Don McGahn of his desire to prosecute the pair, which McGahn said would spark allegations of abuse of power.

Republican Gov. @JohnKasich calls report the President Trump wanted to prosecute Hillary Clinton
“another head shaking, head scratching move.” https://t.co/qZ0wixeAru pic.twitter.com/Ntz1WZioyA

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) November 21, 2018

{mosads}The president continues to privately discuss the possibility of prosecuting Clinton and Comey, the Times reported, citing two people who have spoken to Trump about the matter.

“And of course, coupled today with this statement about the murder of [Washington Post contributor Jamal] Khashoggi is absolutely stunning,” Kasich added on CNN. “We’re in danger of seeing our moral standing … in the world eroded.”

Trump in a statement earlier Tuesday affirmed the close financial and diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., casting doubt on a CIA report that concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was likely behind Khashoggi’s assassination. 

He was immediately met with pushback from Democrats and some members of his party who accused him of placing U.S. business interests over the nation’s moral authority.

“The world scratches its head and wonders, ‘What is becoming of America?'” Kasich said on CNN. “And I’ll tell you what a lot of people in the Western world are wondering: Is this America for four years or is this going to continue? And it’s a serious question.” 

CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Kasich when he will announce whether he is launching another bid for the presidency, which he has been eyeing for months. He has said he would likely run as a Republican challenger to Trump.

“If I think that I can have a major impact, if I think that I can help change the debate, if I think that I can help heal part of our country, I mean, that’s a big thing to say … then I’ve got to seriously think about doing it,” Kasich, who failed in a 2016 presidential bid, said, adding that he doesn’t know when he’ll make the decision.

“I’m not avoiding it, I just don’t know,” Kasich said. “I can tell you that every single option is on the table.”