Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with an acerbic statement to the indictment of former President Donald Trump on Thursday evening.
"The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American," said DeSantis.
"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," he continued.
\u201cThe weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. \n\nIt is un-American. \n\nThe Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is\u2026\u201d
— Ron DeSantis (@Ron DeSantis) 1680216955
"Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda," DeSantis concluded.
The indictment of Trump is the first in U.S. history against a former president. It comes as result of an investigation by Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg into the hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Trump responded with his own statement attacking Bragg's prosecution as politically motivated.
"Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who was hand-picked and funded by George Soros, is a disgrace. Rather than stopping the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he's doing Joe Biden's dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on. This is how Bragg spends his time!" wrote the former president.
He went on to say that the indictment would backfire against the Democrats and promised to win the presidency and throw out every single "crooked" Democrat from office.
Other Republicans and supporters of the former president joined in the chorus criticizing Bragg and the indictment.
Trump is also under investigation in Georgia for allegedly interfering in the 2020 election and under investigation by a special counsel looking into the classified documents seized at his residence at the Mar-a-Lago by the FBI in August 2022.
The exact charges against Trump are unclear, since the indictment is sealed, but experts believe that he could face a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted of the expected charges.
DeSantis is considered to be the most likely competitor to Trump in the Republican presidential primary, despite not having announced a campaign yet.
Here's more about the indictment against Trump:
Grand jury votes to indict Trump www.youtube.com
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