Campaign

Hutchinson booed in Florida after suggesting Trump will be convicted

by Tara Suter - 11/04/23 2:06 PM ET

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson speaks at an event. — Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press file
A former federal prosecutor, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) weighed in on former President Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush money case, saying Americans will gain “confidence” with the outcome over time.

GOP presidential hopeful Asa Hutchinson (R) received boos Saturday after suggesting former President Trump will be convicted in a campaign speech.

“Next March not only brings us March Madness, it will also… we will witness our justice system at work and on trial, in federal and state courtrooms,” Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, said at the Florida Republican Party’s annual Freedom Summit.

“As someone who’s been in the courtroom for over 25 years, as a federal prosecutor, and also in defending some of the most serious federal criminal cases, I can say that there is a significant likelihood that Donald Trump will be found guilty by a jury on a felony offense next year,” he added.

His comments sparked loud boos and groans from the largely pro-Trump crowd.

Hutchinson has been one of the former president’s most vocal critics throughout the 2024 cycle.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another GOP candidate known for being critical of Trump, made similar comments late last month after former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was granted immunity in the federal election interference case.

“This is a guy who was Velcro to Trump’s hip for the entire 2020 campaign and all the post-campaign nonsense,” Christie said of Meadows in an MSNBC interview. “And so this is deadly, it’s done. He’s going to be convicted. … It’s over.”

Hutchinson’s remarks on Saturday earned him a fiery response from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch supporter of Trump.

“To hell with this guy!” Greene posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter with a video of Hutchinson’s comments. “Drop out!! ANYONE running for President that thinks they have a chance because they are banking on Pres Trump going to jail will NEVER have our support.”

“The weaponized government and courts MUST be dismantled and fools who refuse to do it are part of it,” she added.

The former president is currently facing 91 counts in four different criminal trials, including two cases over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, one over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House and another surrounding reports of a hush money payment to a former adult film star.