Mike Pence Dodges Question if He'd Pardon Donald Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence refused to answer on Sunday if he would pardon Donald Trump if he was elected president in 2024.

Trump, who has remained the frontrunner to clinch the 2024 GOP nomination for president since launching his reelection campaign this past November, is facing 37 federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents that he took with him when he left the White House in January 2021. In its investigation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that the former president took the sensitive material to Mar-a-Lago, his private residence in Florida, and obstructed governmental efforts to return the documents to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Trump, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty to the charges in a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday and has maintained his innocence throughout the DOJ's probe.

While appearing on NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday, Pence, who is also running for president in 2024 and served as Trump's vice president, was asked by host Chuck Todd if he was commander-in-chief would he pardon Trump if he was convicted.

"Well, I just think the question is premature," the former vice president said. "I mean, honestly, Chuck, I've pardoned people who were found guilty of a crime."

Pence added: "Well, let me say first and foremost, I don't know why some of my competitors in the Republican primary presume the president will be found guilty."

"If you were President Biden, would you pardon him right now?" Todd then asked the former vice president.

"I just think this whole matter is incredibly divisive for the country," Pence responded. "And look, I just think, at the end of the day, it is saddening to me that we are now in this moment."

Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek on Sunday that Pence should have been more direct in his answer to Todd.

"I believe that GOP candidates should answer this question if asked. It is a legitimate question, and voters deserve to know where the candidates stand on this issue," he said. "If a candidate is unwilling to answer the question, it raises questions about their commitment to upholding campaign promises. It's important for candidates to take a position on this issue, and to explain their reasoning."

Agranoff continued: "The Constitution does not explicitly address this question. Legal experts have differing opinions on the matter. Some argue that a self-pardon would go against the fundamental principle that no one should be a judge in their own case, while others believe that the President has the power to grant self-pardons."

Meanwhile, 2024 GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has publicly pledged to pardon Trump if elected president and has asked all remaining candidates to do the same.

"Yesterday, I challenged every US Presidential candidate to join me in standing for TRUTH. Commit to pardon Trump for the politicized federal charges against him, or explain why not," Ramaswamy wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

While speaking on Fox News Sunday, Senator Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican and 2024 presidential candidate, was also asked about the possibility of pardoning Trump if elected president.

"Well I'm not going to deal with the hypotheticals, but I will say that every American is innocent until proven guilty," he said.

In addition, 2024 GOP presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has publicly said she would be inclined to pardon Trump if she was elected while former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson strongly disagreed.

"If you're running for president of the United States, you can't dangle a pardon out there to curry votes," Hutchinson, who announced his 2024 presidential campaign in April, told CNN on Wednesday.