Hutchinson says GOP candidates who promise Trump pardons are ‘not serving our system of justice well’

GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson said took aim at Republican presidential candidates who have said they would pardon former President Trump if they are elected to the White House.

CBS’s Margaret Brennan asked Hutchinson on “Face the Nation” if he believed Trump should be pardoned “for the good of the country,” which is what former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has suggested. This comes as Trump faces additional charges in the classified documents case and a potential second federal indictment over his alleged involvement in attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

“No. First of all, there should not be any discussion during a presidential campaign,” he said. “You don’t put pardons out there to garner votes. That is premature. Obviously, if there’s a conviction —.”

Brennan interjected him to ask if he thinks Haley is using pardons to gain votes.

“Well, I think that anybody who promises pardons during the presidential campaign is not serving our system of justice well and it’s inappropriate,” Hutchinson responded.

Haley, along with a handful of other GOP presidential candidates, have said they will consider pardoning Trump if they are elected to the White House. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Sunday doubled down on his pledge to pardon Trump amid fresh charges filed against the former president.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also said he does not think it would be good for the country if Trump went to prison when discussing the possibility of a pardon for the former president last week. Former Vice President Mike Pence said last month that any talk of pardoning Trump is “premature.”