Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley commented on former President Donald Trump’s E. Jean Carroll case, calling the former president “distracted” ahead of the New Hampshire GOP primary.
As “the only woman in this race,” CNN anchor Dana Bash asked Haley how she felt about a jury finding her opponent liable for sexual abuse.
“This one I haven’t looked at, but look, if he’s found guilty, then he needs to pay the price. … Every one of these cases, they need to be heard out. He needs to defend himself. … If he’s not found guilty, then we move forward,” Haley said.
“What I will tell you is I’m focused on the economy, the border and education and getting our country back on track. If he’s sitting in a courtroom, that goes back to what I’m saying. We can’t continue to be distracted. We can’t continue to be in chaos. We have a country to save,” she continued.
Carroll, a former Elle columnist, accused Trump of raping her in 1995, which he boldly denied. She later sued him for defamation, for which he was found liable. The trial in New York will focus on awarding her damages.
Bash pointed out that some Republicans think the legal battles against Trump are a “witch hunt,” prompting Haley to admit that she thought some of the cases brought against him were politically motivated.
When asked if Trump’s cases helped his favorability among Republican voters, Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), who is campaigning with Haley, said Trump “plays the victim every time.”
“I’ll say this on the court cases that for the average American voter, it’s massively confusing,” Sununu told Bash.
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Sununu said voters are more concerned with issues facing the country, such as inflation and Social Security, pointing to Haley’s experience as an accountant as the remedy for the country’s financial problems.
“Inflation comes from one thing: overspending and overprinting money in Washington. [Trump] has to be held accountable. Biden has made it 10 times worse, there’s no question. But as a Republican, he didn’t fulfill on the mission that a lot of us sent him to Washington,” Sununu added.
