While many have accused the Manhattan District Attorney’s office of being politically motivated by pursuing criminal charges against former President Donald Trump instead of being guided by the law, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow says the real danger to America in this situation is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
After a grand jury on Thursday indicted Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter, DeSantis said Florida would not cooperate with an extradition request, should New York issue one. Trump resides in Florida.
"The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American," DeSantis tweeted about two hours after news of the indictment broke. "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."
"Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda," he continued.
Maddow said DeSantis' "off the rails" remarks were especially dangerous and threaten the foundations of American justice.
"He's echoing Trump's language exactly -- which is fine -- criticizing the legal process, criticizing the indictment, criticizing your perceived political enemies," she said. "Saying that the legal process for extraditing somebody from one state to another is something that will not be followed -- the Florida governor, if Trump decided that he's not going to turn himself in, that he's going to stay in Florida and 'Come and get me,' Florida's not going to allow that process to go forward because it's a former president, because it's Donald Trump -- well, that could break us."
"Indicting a president, indicting a politician is a normal thing in the country," Maddow continued. "Trying to say the legal system no longer applies in this country, if you try to apply it to our political guy -- that is something that can break the rule of law in this country. That is something, I mean, if anything is the first proverbial shot at Fort Sumpter today, that shot was fired not by Donald Trump but by Ron DeSantis."
Trump was asked to surrender Friday, but his lawyers said the Secret Service needed more time to make security preparations, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. Instead, the former president is expected to turn himself in to authorities to face arraignment on Tuesday. The arraignment is expected at 2:15 p.m. in Manhattan Criminal Court, according to multiple reports.
DeSantis has not commented on Maddow's remarks.
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