GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley breaks silence on Trump indictment

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley explained Thursday why she did not release a statement after her 2024 rival Donald Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury.

Speaking on a New Hampshire talk radio station, Haley reportedly said she kept silent "because like most Americans, I'm tired of talking about it. We should be talking about the security threat posed by China." Haley's comments were reported by NH Journal.

Several other GOP hopefuls weighed in this week on the blockbuster announcement that former President Trump had been indicted in the probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. 

One of the first to release a statement was former CIA spy and former Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, a long-shot for the nomination and a very vocal GOP Trump critic.

"Let me be crystal clear: Trump's presidential bid is driven by an attempt to stay out of prison and scam his supporters into footing his legal bills. Furthermore, his denial of the 2020 election results and actions on Jan. 6 show he's unfit for office," Hurd wrote.

Former Vice President Mike Pence also issued a statement highly critical of Trump, writing that "today's indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, on the other hand, pledged to "end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans," without mentioning Trump by name. 

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said he also was concerned about the "weaponization" of the Justice Department. Vivek Ramaswamy went further by committing to pardon Trump.