GOP’s Buck says Trump ‘needs to tell all Americans to stand down’

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said former President Trump “needs to tell all Americans to stand down” and avoid violence as his four indictments progress through the judicial system.

“I think he absolutely needs to tell all Americans to stand down and allow the judicial system to take its course,” Buck said in an interview on MSNBC. “We trust judges, we trust juries, we trust appellate courts. This isn’t over till it’s over.”

“I think that sending a very clear message, and also having a surrogate send a very clear message, that violence will not be tolerated is appropriate,” he added.

Buck spoke with MSNBC ahead of Trump’s surrender at Fulton County Jail on Thursday, where he became the first U.S. president to have his mug shot taken. Trump was indicted alongside 18 others by a Fulton County grand jury Aug. 14 over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.

The day before his surrender, Trump hinted in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the possibility of political violence.

“[There’s] a level of passion and hatred I’ve never seen, and that’s probably a bad combination,” he said in the interview, which was released just minutes before the first Republican presidential primary debate.

Trump, who is the clear front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination, did not attend the GOP debate in Milwaukee.

“I have never seen such spirit, and such passion, and such love, and I’ve also never seen, simultaneously and from the same people, such hatred of what they’ve done to our country,” he added.

Buck, who is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has notably distanced himself from allegations, popular among his colleagues in the Republican Party and Freedom Caucus, that federal law enforcement agencies are unfairly targeting Trump and conservatives.

“I think the allegations are very serious,” Buck said on CNN in June, after Trump was indicted on federal charges over his handling of classified materials. “I think there were national security implications from having documents in an unsecure area.” 

“I would not feel comfortable with a convicted felon in the White House,” he added at the time.