Donald Trump indicted: DeSantis says Florida ‘will not assist in an extradition request’

Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis (R-FL), has taken the side of his potential main rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination after a Manhattan grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On Thursday, DeSantis tweeted that “The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,”. He went ahead to criticize Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, whom he claims has been “consistently bending the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct”. He further stated that Florida wouldn’t cooperate with an extradition request, Trump being a Florida resident.

Alvin Bragg had asked the grand jury to indict Trump after months of evidence, thus making the former president the country’s first onetime commander in chief to be charged with a crime. The indictment is, however, sealed, and it is unknown the exact charge or charges leveled against Trump, with the widely understood charge being either a misdemeanor or a felony for falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to Daniels in return for her silence regarding their sexual encounter.

Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, told Fox News she expects the former president to be arraigned next week. But DeSantis indicated he is prepared to defend Trump should the ex-reality TV star choose not to surrender. “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” the governor tweeted.

Another potential Republican presidential candidate for 2024, former Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson, described it as “a dark day for America when a former president is indicted on criminal charges.”

Hutchinson, in his statement, said, “While the grand jury found credible facts to support the charges, it is important that the presumption of innocence follows Mr. Trump. We need to wait on the facts and for our American system of justice to work like it does for thousands of Americans every day. Finally, it is essential that the decision on America’s next President be made at the ballot box and not in the court system. Donald Trump should not be the next president, but that should be decided by the voters.”