Nikki Haley urges Republican voters to hold off on supporting Donald Trump until he's on trial

WASHINGTON – GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley urged Republican voters to hold off on supporting former President Donald Trump until they know if he's going to be convicted in any of the four criminal trials pending against him.

"I think the American people deserve to know what the situation is going to be," Haley said on CNN's "State of the Union." Former President Donald Trump currently faces four sets of criminal charges, two federal cases and state-level cases in Georgia and New York.

But Haley on Sunday went beyond targeting Trump over his sweeping indictments. Seeking to upset the former president in the South Carolina Republican primary on Feb. 24, Haley also said Trump should not be trying to block a congressional border bill. Instead, the former South Carolina governor told CNN a new border security plan should be passed as soon as possible.

Haley also used the interview to clarify recent comments she made about states and seceding, telling CNN that no state has the right to leave the country.

Nikki Haley issues warning to Republican voters

Haley on Sunday warned that, as Republican voters select their 2024 nominee to potentially face off against President Joe Biden, "For the next year, (Trump is) going to be sitting a courtroom."

"I think it speaks for itself that he's saying he's going to be spending more time in a courtroom than he's going to be spending on the campaign trail. We've got a country in disarray and a world on fire."

Haley spoke on CNN days after a federal judge announced the indefinite delay of a March 4 scheduled trial in which Trump is accused of trying to steal the 2020 election from Biden. The trial is being delayed because Trump's pre-trial appeals are taking up so much time.

Trump also faces three other criminal trials: A hush money case in New York state, a classified documents case in Florida and another election fraud case in the state of Georgia.

Trials in those cases are proposed for March, May and August, but pre-trial maneuvering could delay any or all of them.

Meanwhile, sandwiched between those potential trial dates, the Republican nominating convention starts July 15 in Milwaukee.

Trump, Haley and border politics

Trump in recent weeks has pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. and other Republican leaders to kill a long-awaited bipartisan border security bill by arguing that Biden already has the power to stop illegal crossings.

But the former president's critics have argued that Trump simply wants to stop lawmakers from working with Biden on major border legislation ahead of the election.

Haley, for example, told CNN on Sunday that said Trump "is absolutely playing politics" with the border.

"He shouldn't be getting involved telling Republicans that wait until the election because we don't want this to help Biden win. We can't wait one more day."

Trump allies immediately hit back at Haley following her interview.

“Nikki Haley reeks of desperation,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, adding “it’s clear she knows she has no shot” and “is now auditioning for a cable news contract when her 15 minutes are over.”

Haley and secession

Haley faced her own criticism on Sunday, too. The former United Nations ambassador sought to clean up recent comments she made suggesting that states - specifically Texas - could secede from the Union, an issue that helped trigger the Civil War.

In a recent radio interview, Haley said that "if Texas decides they want to do that, they can do that." She said "if that whole state says, 'We don't want to be part of America anymore,' I mean, that's their decision to make."

She also added: "Let's talk about what's reality. Texas isn't going to secede."

But Haley this week told CNN said she was referencing comments made during her 2010 campaign for South Carolina governor, and that she did not mean to express support for secession and the country breaking apart.

"The Constitution doesn't allow for that," Haley said.

She said lawmakers should understand the frustration that some state officials feel over the authority of the federal government, citing Texas and its treatment of the U.S.-Mexico border as a prime example.