Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney revealed Monday evening that he known as the White Home in the course of the Biden administration when Particular Counsel Jack Smith was investigating Donald Trump to induce President Joe Biden to preemptively pardon him.
“I known as a member of the White Home, one of many senior advisers to President Biden. And I mentioned, if the Justice Division decides to indict President Trump, I hope President Biden will instantly get rid of that, and that he’ll present a pardon instantly. Why? Primary, I don’t need the anger and the hate and the vitriol. However quantity two: We simply can’t start to be prosecuting political opponents,” Romney mentioned throughout a dialog with CNN’s Dana Bash at an occasion hosted by Drew College in Monmouth, New Jersey.
“Pardoning at that time would have been a solution to make that very clear,” added Romney.
“What did they are saying again to you?” requested Bash.
“They didn’t do this,” Romney mentioned, smiling.
That revelation got here whereas discussing the Trump administration’s current indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, which Romney mentioned he disagrees with: “The concept the system of justice is used to punish political opponents is a really harmful path to go down.”
“I simply don’t assume that’s the best path to go down. I’d go down a special path,” he added.
Romney mentioned final yr that if he had been Biden he would have “instantly pardoned” Trump as soon as the Justice Division introduced indictments.
Romney additionally provided up his opinion of why Trump is pursuing Comey: Humiliation.
“Essentially the most highly effective destructive emotion is humiliation. If you happen to’ve been humiliated, the response is probably the most important,” Romney mentioned. “And I believe President Trump, when he was not in workplace, was humiliated by these actions the place he sat in a New York courtroom on the defendant desk being chastised by a choose and being attacked by a prosecutor who in his marketing campaign and mentioned he was gonna carry Donald Trump an indictment and put him on trial.”
Now, Romney says Trump is doing precisely what he had promised throughout his reelection marketing campaign.
“He mentioned he was gonna have revenge and retribution, and he’s. And he’s making an attempt to have a stronger govt department as a result of he and the individuals round him consider that the chief department is simply too weak and that it must have extra energy,” he mentioned.
Bash requested if Romney feels that Trump’s aggressive use of the chief department is constitutional.
“In some instances, sure, most likely in some instances, no. We’ll see what the Supreme Courtroom says,” he responded.
Romney additionally mentioned he doesn’t need the court docket to permit Trump to take away Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook dinner. “I believe that’s an enormous mistake. The problem is the Structure doesn’t truly describe unbiased companies.”
Throughout his personal run for president in 2012, Romney was famously mocked by President Barack Obama for saying that Russia posed America’s biggest geopolitical menace.
At present, Romney’s warnings are proving prescient.
Romney mentioned he had a tough time watching Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We speak about humiliation, however Vladimir Putin, come to Alaska and have a pink carpet. Oh boy … That is unimaginable. And we simply have to face up for our pals in Ukraine,” he mentioned.
‘I’m not a tariff man’
Romney mentioned “I’m not a tariff man” and that he thinks the aggressive means President Trump is imposing tariffs is incorrect.
“Prior to now, we’ve tried to construct energy by making pals around the globe and, and bringing individuals right here, authorized immigrants and H1-B visa and so forth. We’ve been constructing energy. He’s saying we’ve been constructing energy too lengthy. We wish to train it,” mentioned Romney, including in disbelief, “Going after Canada, for Pete’s sake. Canada!”
Although he mentioned China deserves excessive tariffs, it ought to be coordinated with allies to essentially put the squeeze on that regime.
The previous senator known as Trump’s tariffs inflationary and mentioned he’s now going to the grocery retailer and cooking meals just a few days per week at dwelling. Romney mentioned he sees the excessive costs gripping US customers first hand, which he thought-about a serious downside for Republicans.
“I’m shocked on the costs within the grocery retailer. I imply, every part is $5 or extra,” Romney mentioned. He admitted that he has a style for a high-protein cereal that now prices $10. “It’s unbelievable to me the value of these items.
“And it solely pours, like, 4 bowls!”
JD Vance 2028?
Romney informed Jake Tapper in December that he thought JD Vance could be the subsequent GOP presidential nominee and stands by that also.
He mentioned Vance, whom Romney known as “sensible,” won’t solely be the Republican nominee in 2028, but additionally has a robust probability of turning into president.
“I’m not saying that’s my desire, however I’m saying we’ll see that the Democrats are in a position to put up,” Romney informed the group and added, “I don’t have a house in both political get together,”
It’s a novel place for the previous bearer of the Republican get together to be in. Romney traced his compass again to a lesson from his father, former Michigan Gov. George Romney, who taught him, “There is no such thing as a ache like being indicted by your personal conscience.”
Assault on a church is unimaginable
Romney harkened again to his Michigan roots when requested by Bash concerning the devastating taking pictures on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday.
”Whether or not it’s that church or any church, an assault on a spiritual establishment the place persons are worshiping is unimaginable, unthinkable and inexcusable,” Romney acknowledged.
Romney, who’s Mormon, informed Bash he has cousins who had been worshipers on the congregation.
“My church has a heritage of getting confronted persecution prior to now. And also you surprise, nicely, are we in for an additional bout of this,” he mentioned whereas additionally lamenting the current taking pictures at a Catholic church and rise in antisemitism as nicely.
Violence has additionally taken a private flip for Romney with the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley College.
He informed Bash that two of his grandchildren attend the college. “It turns into related to this horrible act of what presumably was a really troubled younger man,” Romney mentioned.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has steadfastly spoken out in opposition to the toxicity of social media and its function within the taking pictures. Romney says Cox has distinguished himself by drawing that line throughout this tragedy.
“There are darkish impulses within the human psyche and it will get us offended, will get us to tune in repeatedly and once more. And so our social media has taken over how individuals get data now, and it finds individuals guilty,” Romney mentioned.
Romney shared that he wasn’t accustomed to Kirk earlier than his homicide: “I’ve by no means listened to Charlie Kirk. So I don’t know him, however I definitely defend his proper to specific his viewpoint. And I expressed the best of people who vehemently disagree. That’s what democracy is.”
“What’s freedom if we are able to’t converse freely?”
For extra CNN information and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
