GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie on Thursday said he "can't imagine" the possibility of a presidential pardon for former President Donald Trump if he were to be convicted in the federal charges related to mishandling of the classified documents at his Mar-A-Lago residence.
What Happened: The former New Jersey governor, during an interview on NewsNation, said, "I can't imagine a circumstance, as we see it right now, let's say with the case of the document, which is the only one that the president would have jurisdiction over, given what's alleged in the indictment, if that were proven, and…the former president was found guilty, as long as I thought he got a fair trial…I would have a hard time considering any pardon," reported The Hill.
"And by the way, as you know, to get a pardon, you have to also accept responsibility for what you did," Christie said.
"I doubt very highly that Donald Trump would ever do that. And so I can't imagine a pardon being issued."
Meanwhile, Trump's GOP running mates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley have expressed their inclination towards supporting a pardon if Trump were to be convicted of federal charges. While Asa Hutchinson, also a contender, and Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, has deemed discussions about pardoning Trump "premature."
In May, Trump faced 37 charges relating to the alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago following his tenure as president. Additionally, he was accused of obstructing the government’s attempts to reclaim the materials. Trump has entered a plea of not guilty in response to these charges.
On Monday, he also requested a federal court to postpone scheduling a date for his criminal trial, arguing that the unique nature of the case necessitates “a measured consideration and timeline.”
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