DeSantis calls Trump indictment ‘un-American’ and says he won’t assist in extradition

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday blasted the indictment of Donald Trump and vowed that the state “will not assist in the extradition” even though reports suggest the former president plans to surrender voluntarily to New York authorities.

DeSantis, who is expected to challenge Trump for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination later this year, previously said he wouldn’t get involved in Trump’s indictment “in any way” but was roundly condemned by the former president and his supporters, who accused him of being disloyal.

The Republican governor’s decision to criticize Trump’s indictment aligns him with other Republicans who have rallied to Trump’s side. It also mirrors the full-throated GOP support for Trump after the FBI searched his residence at Mar-a-Lago in August.

“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis said on Twitter. “The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”

“Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” he continued.

Under Florida law, the governor can intervene in an extradition matter if it is contested. But as of now, Trump’s lawyers have indicated that Trump is expected to surrender.

DeSantis’ stance on the indictment was being closely anticipated because, as a likely political rival, he has been hit hard by Trump and his allies in recent weeks, including over his previous comments on Trump’s legal troubles when he said: “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair.”

In the last few weeks DeSantis has not only been bashed by Trump, but his comments calling Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine a “territorial dispute” were also sharply questioned by other Republicans, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Several national polls have come out that have seen Trump widen his lead over DeSantis in a potential matchup, but state by state polls in battleground primary states have suggested a much tighter contest. A super PAC backing DeSantis released a Georgia poll on Thursday to the NBC News that had DeSantis actually leading Trump in that state.

Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, responded fiercely to DeSantis’s comments, saying in her own social media post that “breaking the law is un-American and blaming it on George Soros is anti-Semitic.” She added that “you know there has been an actual, proven unlawful and unconstitutional weaponization of the law — your removal of State Attorney @AndrewWarrenFL.”

That’s a reference to DeSantis’ suspension of a Tampa-area prosecutor that has been challenged in federal and state court. DeSantis, during a book promotional appearance in Georgia, noted his action by telling a crowd that he had removed a “Soros” backed prosecutor.

Trump is currently connected to several ongoing investigations, including one over his handling of classified documents at his Florida home at Mar-a-Lago and an ongoing probe in Atlanta.

State Sen. Joe Gruters, the former chair of the Republican Party of Florida with strong ties to Trump, sidestepped questions about how the indictment may affect DeSantis and instead said it would cause Republicans to rally to beat President Joe Biden in 2024.

“I think it’s a witch hunt,” Gruters told reporters outside the Senate chambers. “I think the president is running a race to win the 2024 cycle, and I think this is directly to undercut his effort…. This is a rallying point for all Republicans to come together.”