Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says he will refuse any extradition request to move Trump from Florida to New York. DeSantis called the indictment “un-American” and cited “questionable circumstances.”
“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head,” DeSantis tweeted Thursday. “It is un-American.”
“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct,” he continued. “Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”
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 has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 30, 2023
President Donald Trump has also responded to the corrupt New York grand jury that has formally voted to indict him on felony charges.
“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” Trump began.
“Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done,” Trump began. “The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever”
Trump continued, “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 continued.
“The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable – indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference.”
Here’s Trump’s full statement:
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/d9NlWQqMbQ
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) March 30, 2023
The grand jury indicted Trump for his alleged role in spending a “hush money payment” in 2016. Four people with knowledge of the matter have leaked the information to the Times:
Breaking News: A grand jury in New York has voted to indict Donald Trump over his role in a hush money payment to a porn star, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. https://t.co/2p3Rlr0abC pic.twitter.com/JhSJLKoMny
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 30, 2023
This indictment comes after widespread speculation that the case was dropped. “This is a shocking development and a breaking story,” the Western Journal notes.
For the first time in U.S. history, a former president is expected to be soon arrested on felony charges due to a “corrupt and highly political” criminal investigation in New York.
Trump is accused of paying $130,000 in alleged “hush money” to the then-lawyer of former porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump says the allegations are false and no crime was committed.
Has Alvin Bragg’s case against Donald Trump already been dropped? pic.twitter.com/DElcn50t20
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) March 27, 2023
Despite the total lack of evidence, Trump says the investigation continues as a result of funding from far-left billionaire George Soros.
Trump recently said he believed that the case was dropped. “I think they’ve already dropped the case,” Trump said. “From what I understand, I think it’s been dropped.”
“I don’t like violence and I’m not not for violence,” Trump explained. “But a lot of people are upset and you know they rigged an election, they stole an election, they spied on my campaign.”
“They did many bad things. They did a fake dossier,” Trump added.
Trump claims DA Bragg has ‘already dropped the case’ against him https://t.co/S5pcUlvBSd pic.twitter.com/EUsZo3NABx
— New York Post (@nypost) March 26, 2023
Trump concluded, “I believe that if anything ever happened with the case, it’s a fake case.”
A number of people have noted that former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, allegedly committed the same crime, but were never indicted by a grand jury.
HUGE: Trump Says He Thinks Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg Has Dropped the Case Against Him .
Trump wins again . pic.twitter.com/aOBFfBIzkx
— Johnny U (@Johnnypatriot64) March 26, 2023
During the same time period in 2016, Clinton’s campaign hid a payment for the Russian collusion sham by labeling it “legal fees.” Clinton was never arrested, but instead slapped with a fine.
#BREAKING: Trump To Be Indicted Wednesday, His Secret Service Detail Will Facilitate His Surrender: Report https://t.co/8EefFda8Hu
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 21, 2023
In the 90s, former President Bill Clinton allegedly paid Paula Jones $850,000 and no one batted an eye.
Trump says the case is based on “an old and fully debunked fairytale.” Trump’s lawyer will also likely argue that the five-year statute of limitations for a criminal charge has expired.
This politically motivated attack on former President Donald Trump is unprecedented. The Democrat investigators claim he will be treated like other felony defendants who undergo fingerprinting and a mugshot.
Felony defendants are usually put in handcuffs, but it will reportedly be up to Secret Service whether they handcuff Trump. If the case moves forward, Trump could be on trial in the closing months of the 2024 presidential campaign.