Nikki Haley says Daniel Penny should be pardoned for his New York subway stranglehold

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called the arrest of Daniel Penny an “injustice” and called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to pardon the former Marine charged with manslaughter in the stranglehold death of Jordan Neely.

During a Tuesday interview on WABC’s Cats & Cosby, the former South Carolina governor defended Penny, saying he was trying to do a “good deed” by protecting fellow straphangers when Neely previously began shouting aggressively and throwing trash on a crowded F-train this month.

“Military personnel are trained to defend and protect. That’s what he was trying to do,” Haley told hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby.

“He was trying to defend the people there who were being harassed and challenged by this person. And now he’s being prosecuted,” Haley said.

Penny was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office last Friday after he was first questioned by police and released.

Haley called the allegations against Penny “an injustice” and urged Hochul to take action.

“I don’t really think we have to just stand behind Penny. I think we need to tell the governor that she needs to pardon him. We must pardon him for trying to protect other Americans.”

Haley accused Bragg of politicizing the incident by indicting the former soldier instead of waiting to see if a grand jury would come up with an indictment as originally planned.

“What Bragg is doing is allowing criminals to roam free on the streets. And he’s targeting citizens who are trying to protect themselves and those around them,” Haley said.

Haley has been busy conducting interviews while the presidential nominee offers her opinions on high-profile issues dominating the news cycle.

In a Monday interview with Fox News’ America’s Newsroom, Haley said “heads must roll” after Special Counsel John Durham’s report found the FBI had evidence to launch a “grossly flawed” investigation into the former’s alleged allegation Presidents lacked collusion with Russia in 2016.

She said the missteps detailed in the report are the kind of things that “happens in a third world country,” and called on President Biden, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to comment on the investigation’s failure.