Appearing for a knock-down interview on CNN, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem shredded the case brought against former President Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a case that ended in Trump’s conviction on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. Particularly, Gov. Noem argued that Trump is the victim of a “rigged judicial process.”
The tense interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” was conducted by Dana Bash and included numerous back-and-forth spats where sparks flew, including when Bash brought up the unfortunate part of Gov. Noem’s memoir where she mentioned shooting a hunting dog that was out of control. But though that spat was sharp, Gov. Noem’s defense of Trump and attack on the New York trial was sharper.
First, Gov. Noem forcefully shut down the leftist talking point about Trump going on a campaign of “vengeance” isn’t accurate, as he is interested in pushing policies that lead to America’s success, not tracking down political enemies. She said, “Well, his message has clearly been that his only vengeance will be America’s success. He is not interested in going after political opponents.
Continuing, she pointed particularly to inflation as an issue that President Trump would tackle in a second term, telling Bash, “He is interested in going back to the White House and working for the American people and their families, bringing down inflation costs and that’s what I’m hearing overwhelmingly here in Wisconsin.”
Then, clarifying Trump’s comments about judicial vengeance against those who, he and his allies claim, weaponized the judicial system against him, Noem said, “He’s warned the American people if we start weaponizing the judicial system like they did against him, that it could happen to any president it could happen to any political opponent.”
Building on that, Gov. Noem argued that Trump wants to restore the faith in the judicial system that used to exist, with successfully tough-on-crime red states as his example. She told Bash, “He wants people to trust our judicial system. He wants to make sure that we still have law and order in this country. If you look at conservative areas of this country, places where Republicans were in control, we have law and order we have peace stability.”
Bash then contracted that with soft-on-crime leftist areas and the weaponization of the judicial system against Trump, saying, “You go to Democrat states and cities that’s where you see destruction and you see judicial systems and trials and corrupt judges that prosecute their political enemies. That’s what New York was. New York, that was definitely a rigged judicial process against the president. politically motivated.”
Watch Noem and Bash here:
Gov. Noem also, during the interview, criticized Bash’s characterization of her memoir and focus on the dog story, saying, “That story’s a 20 year old story of a mom who made a very difficult decision to protect her children from a vicious animal that was attacking livestock, and killing livestock, and attacking people. So it’s in the book because it was difficult for me.
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