DeSantis Denounces Trump Indictment, Says Florida ‘Will Not Assist in an Extradition Request’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media in the Florida Cabinet following his "State of the State" address during a joint session of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 7, 2023. Cheney Orr/AFP via Getty Images

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) blasted the indictment of former President Donald Trump.

A New York grand jury voted on March 30 to indict Trump over allegedly misreporting a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels just weeks before the 2016 election.

In a Twitter post, in addition to slamming the indictment, DeSantis, who is expected to announce his candidacy for the White House soon, said Florida will not help extradite Trump to New York. However, extradition is out of the governor’s control.

“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head.

“It is un-American.

“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney [Alvin Bragg] 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.”

However, as Trump defense attorney Joe Tacopina told CNN, the former president is expected to go to New York early next week.

In a lengthy statement, Trump blasted the indictment.

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history. From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats—the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country—have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement. You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this,” he said.

Entrepreneur and GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy slammed the indictment.

“The politically motivated indictment of the 45th President of the United States marks a dark moment in American history. It will undermine public trust in our electoral system & justice system. It is un-American for the ruling party to use police power to arrest its political rivals. Principles go beyond partisanship. Let the American people decide who governs,” he said in a Twitter post that includes a video.

Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state under Trump and may jump into the 2024 field, also joined the GOP outrage.

“The Manhattan DA is undermining America’s confidence in our legal system. Bragg is the same Soros-funded prosecutor who refuses to prosecute violent crimes and who has downgraded more than half of all felonies to misdemeanors,” he said on Twitter.

“Prosecuting serious crimes keeps Americans safe, but political prosecutions put the American legal system at risk of being viewed as a tool for abuse. DA Bragg - spend taxpayers’ money and your energy protecting law-abiding citizens. Not playing politics,” he continued.

The GOP presidential campaign of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served under Trump as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, referred The Epoch Times to Haley’s remarks on Fox News anchor Bret Baier’s show “Special Report” last week. Haley accused Bragg of trying to score “political points.”