GOP presidential hopeful and former federal prosecutor Asa Hutchinson on Sunday said former President Donald Trump should "drop out" of his campaign due to the unprecedented indictment against him.
When asked by ABC's "This Week" if the former Arkansas governor believes Trump should drop out of his campaign, Hutchinson replied: "I've said that some time ago, and it's based upon the fact that you should put the office of presidency and our country above yourself.
"And whenever you've got these serious allegations against you, whenever you've got the challenge of multiple different investigations during the course of the next year, it's not fair to the country; and certainly it's not fair to the party that wants to get this country back on track. And so to me, that is the high-level consideration the candidates should give to the important office of president and making that decision for the country's interest.
"So, yes," Hutchinson added," I think that he should drop out. Clearly, he's not going to."
Hutchinson, who served as a House manager — or prosecutor — during the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, said Republicans should "back off" allegations that the Justice Department has been "weaponized."
"In terms of the overall charge of weaponization of the Justice Department, look at Donald Trump. He's already declared that ... if he's elected president, he's going to appoint a special prosecutor to go after the Biden family. That's called a weaponization of the Justice Department.
"And so let's back off of these accusations, and let's get back to being the party of the rule of law, of the justice system supporting law enforcement and the equal application of law. Let's don't undermine the greatest justice system and criminal justice system and rule of law in the world today, this side of heaven," he added.
The indictment brought against Trump was unsealed on June 8, a day after chair of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., announced that the FBI had evidence suggesting President Joe Biden was involved in a "bribery scheme" with a Ukrainian oligarch.
"Well, I don't think it's any coincidence," Comer told Newsmax, "that the day that the House Oversight Committee has access to an FBI form that suggests Joe Biden was involved in a bribery scheme that the DOJ comes back and indicts Donald Trump."