Asa Hutchinson Calls on Trump to ‘End His Campaign’ After Indictment

Presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) is calling on former President Donald Trump to end his presidential campaign following the news of federal prosecutors indicting the former president.

“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 said in a statement released by the Asa for American campaign, accusing Trump of disregarding the Constitution and disrespecting the rule of law.

“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,” he continued.

“This is a sad day for our country,” he said, ultimately demanding Trump end his presidential campaign.

“While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction,” he said. “This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign.”

See below for Governor Hutchinson’s statement on Donald Trump’s recent indictment: pic.twitter.com/x4jfWJe38R

— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) June 9, 2023

Notably, this is not the first time Hutchinson has criticized Trump or called on him to end his presidential campaign. After a New York grand jury indicted Trump, Hutchinson called on the former president to drop out of the race, once again appealing to the office’s status as “more important than any individual person.”

RELATED — Asa Hutchinson: As President I Would Not Pardon Trump

Hutchinson’s latest demand follows Trump revealing on Truth Social that federal prosecutors had indicted him in relation to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into handling of White House documents. Trump revealed he has been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami Tuesday, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

Trump posted in part:

Page 1: The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is “secured” by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.