U.S. Rep. Ken Buck served up a plate full of bitter truths to the populist wing of the Republican Party backing former President Donald Trump during an interview this week on (Gasp) CNN.
If it weren’t for the bleak reality of what Buck was saying, one might think they had slipped into a parallel universe where Republicans speak the truth even it could hurt the party or (Gasp) cost them votes.
So, get settled on the feinting couch with some smelling salts, or beer, and check out what this conservative Republican and member of the Freedom Caucus has to say about Trump and the GOP presidential primary.
As a former prosecutor, Buck has serious concerns about equal treatment under the law because of similar allegations against Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in which the Justice Department seems to turn a blind eye.
“I’m not going to say that he committed a crime until he’s convicted of committing a crime, but I do think that there were allegations of criminal conduct and other situations where charges could have been brought against Hillary Clinton and others,” Buck said.
“That doesn’t excuse this conduct, but it certainly raises questions about equal treatment under the law. That’s my only concern here. I think this case will go forward. And the results will speak for themselves. But we still need to explain to the American public why is it that there is an apparent disparate impact?”
Our favorite response is when the host tried to goad Buck into saying the FBI conducted the investigation “by the book.”
Searching the home of a former president is unseemly, Buck responded. Setting a precedent like that is the very opposite of “by the book.”
The hard reality came when Bucks was asked how the indictments will impact Trump’s campaign as well as the Republican primary.
“Both parties worry me at this point in terms of the nominating process and how they’re going about it. But yes, I think if (Trump) has another criminal case that is coming down, he may be facing three indictments and three separate trials going through the process. It’s got to be distracting. It’s got to be something that is going to weigh on the credibility for those voters in the middle who really make the final decision in elections,” Buck said.
Asked if he would feel comfortable with Trump as president if he’s convicted, Buck had this to say:
“Well, I would not feel comfortable with a convicted felon in the White House,” Buck said. “So, we’ll see how the case plays out and we’ll see how the evidence is presented and what the defenses are. But let’s just look at Donald Trump’s words in 2016. He said that Hillary Clinton was unfit for the White House because of the way she handled classified information. He said that she wasn’t even qualified to have a low-level State Department job because of the way she handled information. So, I think his words have set the standard that America will look at in determining whether he is fit for President.”