CNN anchor Dana Bash recently questioned GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley to weigh in on her rival and former President Donald Trump sitting in a New York courthouse on Tuesday as a judge weighs damages in the E. Jean Carroll suit via Mediaite.
Bash noted that Trump is currently “in a courthouse in New York, and I want to ask you about that.”
“He actually chose to be there. He’s already been found liable for defaming E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her 30 years ago. A jury found him liable for sexual abuse. And this trial that he’s attending today is about damages that he must pay her. You’re the only woman in this race. How do you feel about your party’s frontrunner being held liable for sexual abuse?” Bash asked.
“I mean, first of all, I haven’t paid attention to his cases. And I’m not a lawyer. All I know is that he’s innocent until proven guilty. And when he’s proven guilty and he’s sitting in a courtroom, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve got investigations on Trump and Biden,” Haley replied.
“But a lot of people, forgive me, but a lot of people in the Republican Party blow it all off and say that it’s all a witch hunt,” Bash shot back.
“Because I think some of the cases have been political,” Haley replied.
“But this case in particular?” Bash pressed.
“This one I haven’t looked at, but look, if he’s found guilty, then he needs to pay the price. He needs to do what he’s supposed to. Every one of these cases, they need to be heard out. He needs to defend himself. If he is found guilty, he’s going to pay the price. If he’s not found guilty, then we move forward. 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,” Haley insisted.
“And, governor, what you have seen. You’re both governor. Governor Sununu, what you’ve seen is that these, uh, court cases have, in the short term at least, benefited him with Republican caucus goers, with Republican primary voters, at least in polls. So that’s part of the reason why he plays it up. And he goes to this hearing today that he doesn’t have to be at,” Bash asked Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH), who is campaigning for Haley.
“Look, obviously, he plays the victim every time. I’ll say this on the court cases that for the average American voter, it’s massively confusing,” Sununu replied.
