Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Tuesday denounced former President Donald Trump after a jury found him liable of sexual abuse and defamation in the civil suit filed by E. Jean Carroll.
Breaking ranks with other announced Republican presidential candidates, who so far have largely kept quiet, Hutchinson trashed Trump’s “cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law” after a Manhattan jury quickly awarded Carroll $5 million in the battery and defamation lawsuit.
“The jury verdict should be treated with seriousness and is another example of the indefensible behavior of Donald Trump,” Hutchinson said.
Other announced GOP presidential rivals like former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy did not immediately say anything about the verdict.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been Trump’s most potent rival in early polls., also kept quiet as did former Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom are considering entering the race.
All the GOP candidates, except for Hutchinson and possible candidates like New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have largely held their tongues or defended Trump in the face of his legal woes.
The testimony against Trump in the Carroll case was particularly damning.
Carroll spent almost three days on the witness stand, where she emotionally testified about being attacked in a changing room inside Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Ave between the fall of 1995 and spring of 1996. Carroll’s November current lawsuit, one of two she filed against Trump, was the first filed under the Adult Survivors Act, historic legislation lifting the statute of limitations to bring sex assault claims for one year.
Trump didn’t attend or testify at his trial. His lawyers didn’t put on a defense case, relying instead on trying to discredit Carroll’s account by aggressively cross-examining her and her witnesses.
Congressional reaction was also muted with outspoken supporters and opponents of Trump alike mostly keeping quiet about the verdict.
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a close ally of Trump critic Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, predicted there would be a “drumbeat” of legal blows to Trump.
“People are gonna have to decide if that’s a factor,” Thune said. “For a lot of voters, it’s gonna be.”
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) lashed out at Trump
“We learn(ed), again, that Donald Trump is a monster,” Lieu tweeted.
The verdict is unlikely to shake broad support for Trump within the Republican primary electorate which has largely rallied behind him even as his legal jeopardy deepens.
A new poll that came out hours before the verdict found Trump with a 3-1 lead over DeSantis, with 61% support compared to 19% for the Florida governor. Pence and Ramaswamy trailed with 5%, followed by Haley at 3%.
Hutchinson, who is seeking to differentiate himself from the pack by openly criticizing Trump, clocked in at just 1% in the same poll.