Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said he would not support a convicted felon for president as former President Trump faces an arraignment on federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified and sensitive documents after his administration ended.
Buck told CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview on Tuesday that the public will need to see how the evidence for the case against Trump is presented and what Trump’s defense is, but he would not “feel comfortable” supporting someone who has been convicted of a felony for president.
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“If he is convicted of these charges of mishandling this information, of knowingly concealing his actions, I don’t think, I certainly won’t support a convicted felon for the White House,” he said.
Buck’s comment comes as Trump is set to make his first appearance in federal court in Miami after being indicted on 37 counts related to his keeping classified and sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla.
Most of the charges Trump is facing are for willful retention of national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act. Other counts he is facing include conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing a document in a federal investigation and making false statements and representations.
Republicans have been somewhat split in their reactions to Trump’s indictment in the days following the news that he would become the first former president to be charged with federal crimes. Some have criticized Trump’s conduct in allegedly keeping the documents in various places around Mar-a-Lago like a bathroom, while others have accused the Justice Department of political motivation in going after Trump.
Buck noted comments Trump previously made during the 2016 presidential election accusing his Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, of being unfit for office because of her handling of emails that contained classified information on a private server.
“So I think his words will set the standard that America will look at in determining whether he is fit for president,” he said.
Buck said he believes the charges against Trump are “very serious” and that special counsel Jack Smith, who has been overseeing the probe into Trump, included a lot of detail to explain to the country why indicting him was necessary.
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