
Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said on Tuesday she would be “inclined” to pardon former President Donald Trump if he is convicted of federal charges.
Speaking on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton radio show and quoted by Politico, Haley stood by her comments from Monday, when she said the allegations against Trump, if true, show that he put “all of our military men and women in danger.”
She maintained that Trump was “incredibly reckless with our national security,” based on the indictment — but not reckless enough to deserve to carry out a sentence.
“When you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt and more about what’s good for the country,” Haley said. “And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case. So I would be inclined in favor of a pardon.”
Haley added that it is “really premature” to discuss a pardon if Trump hasn’t yet been convicted of any charges.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents in an arraignment at a federal courthouse in Miami.
Despite the indictment against Trump, a poll released on Monday found that he remains far ahead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Some 43% of self-identified Republicans said Trump was their preferred candidate, compared to 22% who picked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump's closest rival.