Asa Hutchinson, a Republican 2024 presidential candidate, accused former President Donald Trump of a "willful disregard for the Constitution" after his reported indictment Thursday.
Trump was reportedly indicted on seven counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, by a federal grand jury in Miami, Florida, and will appear in court on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET.
It's the second time the former president has been indicted this year, his first from the New York County District Attorney's office for 34 charges of falsifying business records.
"With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time, our country finds itself in a position that weakens our democracy," Hutchinson stated. "Donald Trump's actions — from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law — should not define our nation or the Republican Party."
"While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction," he continued. "This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign."
Hutchinson, who served as Arkansas governor from 2015 until January this year, has been one of Trump's harshest critics from within the Republican primary field this cycle, NBC's KARK-TV 4 noted.
He is currently polling less than 1%, below former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former NATO Ambassador Nikki Haley — South Carolina's governor from 2011 until 2017.
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