Donald Trump is caught in a maelstrom of lawsuits and investigations that will likely impede his campaign for the upcoming presidential election.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who was once Trump’s staunchest ally and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview on Sunday that it could be time to move on from her ex-boss.
What Happened: Instead of working on all the issues Americans want to talk about, “what we don’t need to be talking about is what Trump has to do to defend himself,” said Haley in an interview on CBS’ “Face The Nation.”
While Trump may have been “the right president at the right time” and “his policies were good,” Haley said she doesn’t think “he’s the right president at the right time going forward.”
“I think we’ve got to move forward,” she said. “Otherwise, we will have a general election that’s doing nothing but dealing with lawsuits.”
Haley noted that Trump’s first court case is on the day of the Iowa caucuses and that there would be another in May when the GOP presidential candidate would most likely be decided.
“We can’t have a general election where we are handing it over to Kamala Harris because we’re dealing with indictments and court cases and legal issues of President Trump,” Haley said.
Why It’s Important: Trump, who is the frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, is facing two indictments and many more potential lawsuits. In the classified document case, special counsel Jack Smith’s team has charged Trump with 37 felonies and his aide Walt Nauda with six felonies. The former president pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in Miami.
A revised indictment released by Smith last week added three new felony charges against Trump and two new felony charges against Nauta. A third defendant was added as part of the superseding indictment for destroying security camera footage after investigators had sought to take possession of it.
The case will come up for trial on May 20, 2024, in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Trump was also indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a hush money case for falsifying business records over payment made to adult movie star Stormy Daniels. A trial is scheduled for March 25, 2024.
Other potential legal challenges Trump may face involve election interference in Georgia and the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.
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