DeSantis says Florida "will not assist" in a Trump "extradition" after grand jury indictment
A grand jury in New York City has voted to indict former President Donald Trump, who is still running for president in 2024 — and one of his main rivals for the GOP nomination in 2024 said in a statement that Florida "will not assist in an extradition request."
The charge or charges have not yet been made public. The Manhattan District Attorney's office has been investigating Trump for allegedly falsifying business records in connection with a "hush money" payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
With the indictment, Trump is both the first president to be impeached twice and the first former president to be criminally charged.
Although he has not yet announced if he is running in 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is thought to be strongly considering a 2024 presidential run, which has put him at odds with Trump, who has already announced his own run.
"The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head," DeSantis tweeted on Thursday. "It is un-American."
DeSantis continued to say that the Manhattan District Attorney leading the charges against Trump 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 said.
The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 30, 2023
It is un-American.
The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is…
Trump made his home at Mar-a-Lago, which is in Florida, his legal residence in 2018. His defense attorneys said he will likely surrender next week in New York City. Interstate extradition is a matter for the courts. The Manhattan District Attorney said in a statement that they had contacted Trump's "attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment."
DeSantis has previously condemned potential charges against Trump while also noting the criminal aspect. When Trump first posted on social media that he expected to be arrested, DeSantis called potential charges a "politicized prosecution" but he added "Look, I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just can't speak to that."
Trump and his team on Thursday put out statements on Thursday condemning the indictment. The former president took to Truth Social soon after the announcement, calling the decision "an attack on our country the likes of which has never been seen before."
His attorneys also put out a statement, with lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina saying that he "did not commit any crime" and that he will "vigorously fight his political prosecution in Court."