Nikki Haley and Tim Scott’s befuddling response to Trump indictment | Opinion
When you’re running for president and your opponent is indicted for basically trying to overthrow the government, distancing yourself from him might seem like a no-brainer.
Not for South Carolina’s Tim Scott and Nikki Haley.
Scott and Haley are among the many Republicans who haven’t strayed far from Donald Trump despite his legal woes, which peaked Tuesday when he was indicted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Shortly after the charges were announced, Scott served up the usual deflection of blame with a side of Hunter Biden whataboutism.
“I remain concerned about the weaponization of Biden’s DOJ and its immense power used against political opponents,” Scott said in a tweet. “What we see today are two different tracks of justice. One for political opponents and another for the son of the current president.”
Haley did not issue a statement on the indictment, but she has long refrained from outright renouncing the man who was once her boss.
Let’s be clear. We’re talking about a man who is facing three separate indictments: for unlawfully taking classified documents and lying about it, for paying hush money to a porn star and, now, for trying to overturn the results of a legitimate election. Trump deserves a trial, of course, but he doesn’t have to be a criminal to deserve criticism. He repeated falsehoods about stolen elections and has been caught on phone trying to steal votes in Georgia. Even before Trump faced charges, it should have been easy to denounce him. He is morally bankrupt and disgraced the presidency before he even walked in the White House doors.
But here’s the thing about Haley and Scott: they’re scared. Scared of the political consequences from Trump himself, but also from Republican voters. Criticizing Trump probably isn’t going to lead to a primary victory for Haley or Scott. Polling shows that an overwhelming margin of GOP voters either don’t believe or don’t care that Trump did anything wrong, and they’re standing by him. Yet being a Trump sycophant isn’t a great strategy either, considering Haley and Scott are each polling at a distant 3%.
Still, knowing they have to make themselves stand out somehow, both Haley and Scott have attempted to subtly criticize the former president on the campaign trail. Haley, for example, has called Trump’s handling of classified documents “incredibly reckless” and recently urged GOP voters to move on from Trump. Sadly, these rebukes tend to be spineless and short-lived. Despite Haley’s supposed concerns, she apparently still intends to support Trump if he is the Republican nominee, and even said she’d be “inclined” to pardon Trump if he is convicted of federal charges. Will she support him even if he has to run a campaign from prison?
Haley and Scott may be in an impossible political position, but deserve little sympathy. It’s a conundrum that Republicans, including these two, have created for themselves. Since 2015, Republicans have been keeping their eyes (and mouths) shut and hoping Trump will go away on his own. Their sometimes tacit, sometimes outright acceptance of Trump has allowed him to become politically infallible, no matter the lows he sinks to. It didn’t work then — look where we are now, after all — and it’s not going to work now.
If Scott and Haley are barely willing to offer half-hearted criticisms of Trump’s worst behavior, then what are they doing in the race? Perhaps they’re hoping — foolishly — that Trump will drop out. Or maybe they’ve simply decided to run for another job: vice president. For that role, loyalty to Trump is the most important qualification. He has effectively encouraged his primary opponents to duke it out for a spot on his ticket, suggesting that the upcoming GOP debate could determine who he “MIGHT consider for Vice President!”
By doing nothing, Haley and Scott aren’t just going to lose an election. Even if they win Trump’s affection, or ride to the White House on his coattails, it won’t really be a victory — because they will have lost their integrity to achieve it.
This story was originally published August 2, 2023 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Nikki Haley and Tim Scott’s befuddling response to Trump indictment | Opinion."
