President Clinton's former pollster called out New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg's 34-count indictment of ex-President Donald Trump as evidence the justice system is being politicized, while adding the development doesn't change much of the calculus for Democrats in 2024.
"I think the implications for the country are sad," Mark Penn told Fox News on Wednesday. "Someone has got to stop the politicization of the justice system."
Democrats seeking to discard Trump from the political scene once and for all may also be disappointed, he suggested, remarking the arrest "revived his campaign" and funneled millions in civilian donations to its coffers.
"He's the center of attention. And I think for Democrats, it doesn't do anything one way or the other -- except that I think Biden is consolidating the notion that he's actually going to run for a second term," Penn said.
BRAGG SHOULD BE DISBARRED, ATLANTA PROSECUTOR A ‘HACK’: LEVIN
Penn added the indictment, however, complicates things for other 2024 hopefuls or prospective hopefuls like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis and others will have to thread the needle between objecting to Trump's indictment and establishing that Republicans may have to replace him as the GOP standard-bearer, he said.
Fellow pollster and former Trump White House counselor Kellyanne Conway added on "The Story" that the key for other candidates will be to answer predictable press badgering about Trump's indictment and then "get out of" the topic and focus on why they oppose President Biden.
Conway said DeSantis – who has not formally announced his candidacy – allowed himself to be seen as a Trump alternative more than a Biden alternative, which is what Republicans must do at this time.
TRUMP ATTORNEY: RULE OF LAW IN USA IS DEAD
So far, however, former Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who announced his 2024 candidacy last weekend, instead called the indictment a "sideshow" while urging Trump to abandon his quest to be the first since President Grover Cleveland to serve two nonconsecutive terms in the White House.
"He's under indictment. That is a reason for him to withdraw from it [the presidential race] - because of how it undermines the strength of the presidency of the United States," he said Monday on "Your World with Neil Cavuto" Monday. "I've always viewed that we ought to put the position that we're seeking in public service ahead of our personal desires."
For his part, Trump previously labeled Hutchinson a "RINO stiff."
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has also entered the 2024 sweeps, called the indictment a "revenge" ploy by "some political people in New York" who despise their native son.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
