RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel Refuses to Say Whether It’s ‘Becoming’ for a Former President to Keep Classified Documents

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel refused to answer a question about whether the crimes alleged in the federal indictment of Donald Trump are “becoming” of an ex-president.

McDaniel appeared on CNN Primetime, where host Kaitlan Collins referenced an attempt by Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson to alter an RNC pledge that all candidates support the eventual nominee. Hutchinson protested that candidates should not be required to do so if the nominee has been convicted of felonies.

His failed effort came days after Trump was indicted in federal court in Miami on charges that he kept classified documents after leaving office and obstructed the government’s attempts to retrieve them. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. He also faces state charges in Manhattan, whose district attorney alleges Trump falsified business records. The former president also pleaded not guilty to those counts.

Collins asked McDaniel about Trump’s indictment.

“When you look at that and you see is conduct that is alleged in that, do you believe that that’s becoming of a former commander-in-chief and the Republican frontrunner right now?” she asked.

McDaniel dodged the question and talked about Hillary Clinton instead.

“What I will say, Kaitlan – and I think Bill Barr’s even said this, who… isn’t always on President Trump’s side on some these issues, but he has said – it feels like there’s a two-tiered system of justice,” McDaniel replied. “If you look back at Hillary Clinton, she had 2,000 classified documents – 22 of them were deemed top secret. She had eight different blackberries that were never investigated by the FBI. And he’s let off scot-free. And you see a totally different standard of justice for Donald Trump who had seven top secret documents.”

Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general said of the indictment, “If even half of it is true, he’s toast.”

McDaniel’s claim was a reference to the 2,000 emails found on Clinton’s private server she improperly used for government business while Secretary of State. In 2016, the FBI said 2,000 emails were regarded as “‘up-classified to make them Confidential; the information in those had not been classified at the time the e-mails were sent.” The Department of Justice did not prosecute.

Trump meanwhile, is alleged to have willfully retained classified documents while actively thwarting attempts to recover them.

Watch above via CNN.

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