CNN Newsroom: Interview with Asa Hutchinson (R-AK)
Interview
Jim, absolutely, you're going to see me on that debate stage. You have to have 40,000 unique donors. We're up to 38,000. And so, we're almost there, and thousands have come in the last couple of days to asa2024.com and given us a dollar. People here at the Iowa State Fair have helped out. So, we're going to be there excited about telling the truth about Donald Trump, but also talking about the future of our country.
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Well, again, I'm going to be there. Obviously, if someone doesn't make the debate stage, they've got to evaluate where they are and where their campaign can go. But this is critically important. This debate stage, because Iowans, folks in New Hampshire are all looking there, the first time to really compare the candidates.
So, it's critical to be there and it's going to be a very good discussion, even if Donald Trump is not there, because we're going to have to give our views of January 6th and our views of Donald Trump's leadership. So, I think my voice is critically important and I will be there.
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Well, they're not submitting to us until we meet the 40,000-threshold. But, yes, my intention is to sign that so I can be on the debate stage. And my view is that I'll support the nominee of the party. I don't believe that nominee is going to be Donald Trump.
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Well, at first, I would think that he made the decision he can't effectively campaign and deal with his four criminal cases at the same time, but it sounds like he's got a counter producing event going on. So, it looks to me like he's just saying, I'm more important than the debate, I'm more important than the party, I'm more important than presenting and defending my positions for the American people.
I think it's a mistake on his part. And whether he's there or not, the candidates are going to have to state their positions on what he's done, how we distinguish ourselves. So, he will be there in absentia, but he will not escape the evaluation of the candidates that are on the stage, including myself.
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Well, I don't think it's preferred. I don't think it's necessary. Whenever you look at the way the special counsels handled that, they've avoided that. So, it's unnecessary. I know they're trying to get -- treat everybody the same and the mug shots are not a fun thing to go through. So, I'd prefer not, but that's up to the sheriff and the local prosecutor there.
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Sure, it does. Sure, it's a separate and in the same way that nobody else goes into court with Secret Service around them. We've never been through anything like this. And he needs to understand the impact that his decisions, which led to these indictments, are going to have on our body politic, on the election coming up, on the debate and on the discussion of the issues.
I talk to people in Iowa, they're asking me about inflation. They're asking about what I'm going to do on border security and fentanyl, and that's what we've got to focus on, and that's what he's doing is a great distraction from the serious issues in our country.
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Well, first of all, Vivek's policies that he articulate, allows Putin to win. He allows Russia to win. And, no, that's not in the national interest of the United States of America. That shows weakness. That rewards Russia for doing the invasion. They get what they want and keeps Ukraine out of NATO, but also gives them territory. It's just flat wrong.
This obviously will be discussed in the debate. Donald Trump had some comments on that as well. But, no, I could not disagree more with what Vivek is articulating.
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All right. Thank you. Good to be with you.
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