Trump Won’t Get Fair Trial With America’s ‘Two-Tiered’ Justice System: Kellyanne Conway
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway has said the former president won’t get a fair trial. “It’s a very sad moment for the country,” Ms. Conway told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “I think that this will be litigated at the ballot box.”
Kellyanne Conway speaks during an event on education at the America First Policy Institute in Washington on Jan. 28, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has said former president Donald Trump won’t get a fair trial as a result of the Biden administration’s unfair justice system.
“There’s a two-tiered system of justice. It seems like there’s one for Donald Trump and one for everyone else,” Ms. Conway told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Aug. 16.
She added, “How in the world can we have the most liberal county in Georgia, D.C., New York City—all these places that voted against him—I don’t think he could get a fair trial, to be frank with you.”
The former president has two federal cases against him: one in Florida over his alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, and another in Washington over his reputed attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
Mr. Trump is also facing two state cases. In New York, he has been indicted for falsifying business records related to payments made in 2016. In Fulton County, Georgia, he and 18 co-defendants were indicted recently in connection with his efforts to dispute the state’s 2020 election results.
“I don’t think people facing the cameras with glee, promising to ‘get Donald Trump’ as part of their election pitch as law enforcement officers, as district attorneys and whatnot—I think he has a lot of runway that will allow him to make that argument,” Ms. Conway said.
With the four indictments, the former president is facing a total of 91 criminal charges. He is the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice and charged criminally.
“It’s a very sad moment for the country. We are in unchartered waters,” Ms. Conway continued. “I think that this will be litigated at the ballot box.”
Former president Donald Trump enters Erie Insurance Arena for a political rally while campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election, in Erie, Pa., on July 29, 2023. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
The fourth indictment against Mr. Trump sparked mixed reactions in Congress, with Democrats celebrating the new charges against the former president and Republicans issuing criticism.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) told Fox News on Aug. 16 that the indictment in Georgia illustrates “a two-tiered system of justice” in the United States, where individuals are being prosecuted for acting “in any way that’s contrary to the party in power.”
“So, it looks as if we’re going to be spending more time focused on courtrooms than we are going to be focused on actual Presidential debates going forward,” the senator added. “It’s a sad day for America when we find ourselves in this situation.”
Ms. Conway, a former 2016 campaign manager to Mr. Trump, said there is a reason why the former president is leading in the polls.
“I will tell you that part of why President Trump is way ahead of many different Republican aspirants for the presidential nomination is people see him as a fighter, and they see him as a winner, and they see him, a little bit, as a victim,” she said.
According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, which was conducted between Aug. 10 and Aug. 14, Mr. Trump received 57 percent of support in the GOP primary field, holding a commanding lead over his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who picked up 18 percent of support.
Vivek Ramaswamy finished in third with 5 percent of support, followed by former vice president Mike Pence with 4 percent of support.
In a hypothetical general election match-up, 47 percent of respondents said they would support President Joe Biden, while 46 percent would support Mr. Trump, according to the poll.
As of Aug. 16, Mr. Trump is leading Mr. DeSantis by 39.8 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics’ Republican presidential primary average of all recent polling data.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed a March 4, 2024, trial date for Mr. Trump and his co-defendants. The attorney’s office is also requesting that arraignments take place during the week of Sept. 5.
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
