Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is shooting down the idea a president should be immune from any prosecution.
During a CNN town hall, Haley was asked if she agreed with former President Donald Trump’s assertion presidents should be protected from facing prosecution for events that “cross the line.”
“No, I mean it should be common sense,” she responded, adding, “Obviously, if a president is doing something and it’s related to… terrorist threats and people died, that’s one thing.”
However, Haley argued, “But do you get just total freedom to do whatever you want? No, that’s never the way it was intended to be. There needs to be accountability, no one is above the law.”
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Nikki Haley says she would pardon Donald Trump:
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 19, 2024
“The last thing we need is an 80-year-old president sitting in jail because that is just going to further divide our country.”
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However, she noted she is not a lawyer and does not know “what the limits are.”
Touching on the topic of accountability, host Jake Tapper asked Haley if she would pre-emptively pardon Trump before he could be convicted.
“No, I think everything needs to play out. I think it’s important that that happens. And I honestly think President Trump would want that to happen. If he wants to defend himself, and prove that he has been treated, you know the wrong way or whether it’s political, I think he would want to fight for that,” she answered.
Tapper then asked, “If he were convicted, would you then pardon him?”
“I would pardon him,” Haley responded.
She explained, “For me, the last thing we need is an 80-year-old president sitting in jail because that’s just going to further divide our country. This is no longer about whether he’s innocent or guilty. This is about how do we bring the country back together?”
Finally, Haley stated she is “determined to make sure all of this division, all of this chaos goes away.”
“And I think a pardon for him would make all of that go away, and I think it would be healing for the country,” she added.