Then-President Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Source: Governor’s Office
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Gov. Ron DeSantis defended former president Donald Trump minutes after a jury found him guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The governor took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say that the case should not have taken place and that it had been influenced by political actors on the left. The five-paragraph post went up minutes after the jury convicted Trump.
“Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America — all in an effort to ‘get’ Donald Trump,” DeSantis posted on X.
“That this case — involving alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago — was even brought is a testament to the political debasement of the justice system in places like New York City. This is especially true considering this same district attorney routinely excuses criminal conduct in a way that has endangered law-abiding citizens in his jurisdiction.
“It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law. If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict. In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court.”
DeSantis has expressed support for Trump since he paused his own bid for the presidency in January.
Other leading Florida Republicans took the same tack, assailing the American justice system in general and the Trump trial in particular.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio had this to say:
“The verdict in New York is a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice. A political show trial conducted by an openly pro-Biden judge whose daughter makes money off the case, a jury from the most liberal county in America, absurd and ridiculous charges and outrageous jury instructions that guaranteed guilty verdicts. Biden and the Trump deranged left will stop at nothing to remain in power.”
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott:
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott via his U.S. Senate page.
“This was a sham trial and the clearest example we’ve ever seen of election interference. I am furious and no American is safe from Democrat political persecution. Joe Biden and the Democrat machine manufactured a legal case against Trump to win an election. I went to New York to stand with President Trump and the American voters will stand with him this November.”
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis:
“Banana republic. To orchestrate charges in an election year for something years earlier just to try and take out a political opponent — this is what people have been fleeing in 3rd World countries for decades. Embarrassing. Low point in American history. Sad day. Trump should be granted clemency immediately. This is outrageous.”
Evan Power, chairman, Republican Party of Florida:
“From a corrupt District Attorney to a rigged judge making a mockery of our judicial system, President Trump’s guilty verdict comes as no surprise. Trump Derangement Syndrome was alive and well in that New York courtroom, but here in the real world, Donald Trump’s support only grows stronger.” Polling shows that the majority of Americans will NOT be swayed by this outcome. (emphasis in the original).
“This political witch hunt does nothing more than make fools out of the Democrats. They can’t win with a failing, senile old man on the ballot, so they must resort to election interference. Americans see right through it!
“We look forward to taking back the White House this November and putting an end to Biden’s disastrous policies on the border, the economy, and crime. Florida will lead the way in bringing the RED wave to vindicate President Donald J. Trump once and for all!”
Meanwhile, Democrats argued the system worked fairly.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz:
“A former president being convicted is nothing to be celebrated, but it is an affirmation that nobody is above the law. This verdict was reached by a jury of Trump’s peers, by citizens of the American justice system, not by a judge or by a political opponent.”
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