Trump claims Haley would become DOJ target if she wins GOP nominee because ‘that’s what they do’
Former president Donald Trump, in his final campaign push ahead of Saturday’s South Carolina primary, said his GOP rival Nikki Haley would become the target of multiple Department of Justice investigations should she become the Republican nominee — because “that’s what they do.”
“Oh, it’s a crooked, it’s a crooked deal,” he told supporters at a rally in Rock Hill, SC on Friday, bemoaning the 91 criminal counts that have been filed against him in multiple jurisdictions.
“But Nikki Haley, if she were ever in this position, they’d go after her,” he said, alluding to his frequent complaint that the DOJ has been weaponized against him and against other Republicans.
“I can give you about five reasons right now, but I don’t want to get myself in trouble,” Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
“They’ll say he’s so mean, he’s so mean. Oh, there are some reasons. I think everybody in your state knows some beautiful reasons,” he said with a chuckle — but without elaborating.
“They would go after her the same way they go after me,” he concluded. “That’s what they do.”
Trump and Haley, his sole remaining primary opponent, have been trading increasingly pointed barbs in recent days as the former South Carolina governor — and Trump’s onetime UN ambassador — makes a last-ditch bid for electoral momentum in her home state.
She has argued that the 77-year-old is too old to serve another term White House and has warned that his “chaos” will hurt the GOP at the ballot box in November.
Her attacks on Trump have won praise from Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who on Friday called Haley “one of our better surrogates.”
But Friday’s Rock Hill rally was not the first time Trump has suggested that Haley would come under investigative scrutiny if she defeated him to become the GOP’s standard-bearer.
“Just a little note to Nikki. She’s not going to win,” he said in January as he celebrated his victory in the New Hampshire primary.
“But if she did, she would be under investigation by those people in 15 minutes,” he warned — saying that the same fate could have befallen Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, “but he decided to get out.”
Regarding Haley, he added, “And I can tell you five reasons why already,” providing no details. “Not big reasons. Little stuff that she doesn’t want to talk about.”
