Florida Gov. Ron Desantis wonāt deliver former President Donald Trump into the hands of New York prosecutors after his indictment.
DeSantis made it clear that he would treat the charges against Trump as a political abuse of power in a Thursday tweet, minutes after news of the indictment became official.
The governor pledged that Floridaās government would decline to fulfill an extradition request for Trump on the part of New York.
āThe weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head,ā DeSantis stated.
āIt is un-American. The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct,ā he added.
āFlorida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.ā
DeSantisā reaction to Trumpās indictment was closely scrutinized by national Republicans ā some of whom accused him of insufficiently backing his potential rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
DeSantis previously criticized Bragg for his connections to Democratic oligarch George Soros, accusing him of ignoring violent Crime in favor of political bias.
āHeās trying to do a political spectacle. Heās trying to virtue signal to his base.ā
āWeāre not going to be involved in it in any way.ā
The Manhattan District Attorneyās Office indicated that it had asked Trump to surrender to New York law enforcement after a grand jury empaneled by Bragg returned an indictment.
If Trump declines to face Braggās charges in New York, DeSantisā role as the governor of the former presidentās home state could present a roadblock for the prosecution.
Should Trump agree to appear in a New York courthouse for a potential Campaign Finance violation trial, DeSantisā role in extradition would become moot.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.