Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to former President Trump’s latest indictment by saying that “Americans” could not get a fair trial in the political “swamp” of Washington, D.C.
“As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans,” DeSantis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday evening.
“While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment,” DeSantis wrote. “I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, D.C. to their home districts. Washington, D.C., is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality.”
The District of Columbia’s population is 45% African American, according to 2022 U.S. Census estimates. It also is dominated by Democratic voters unlikely to support Trump but also DeSantis, a Republican who’s running against Trump for the GOP nomination for president.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, responded, “if you don’t want to be tried in Washington, D.C., then don’t commit a crime in Washington, D.C..”
“And it’s just so ironic because this is the supposed party of ‘law and order,’ but they’re constantly asking to not only break the law and get away with it, but to change the law to benefit themselves and their allies,” Eskamani said. “… And for Republicans running in this presidential primary, instead of continuously sucking up to him, why don’t we focus on solving real problems?”
State Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, wrote on X that DeSantis’ attack on “weaponization of the federal government” was hypocritical.
“This man has continuously weaponized the government against his critics and detractors,” Nixon wrote. “Let’s run down the list. Black People, LGBTQ Folks, Women, [removed Hillsborough state attorney] Andrew Warren, School Boards, Superintendents, elected state lawmakers that vote against his priorities. Who am I missing y’all?”
Trump supporters attacked DeSantis in the replies to his statement.
“Whatever Ron. You won’t even fight right now! #j6,” one wrote.
“YOU @RonDeSantis HAVE BETRAYED US JUST LIKE PENCE DID, AND WE WILL NEVER FORGET IT,” wrote another X user.
Kari Lake, the failed Arizona GOP candidate for governor who has made similar false allegations of election fraud, called on all other Republican presidential candidates “to immediately suspend their campaigns.”
“[S]top wasting hard-earned donor money and rally around our nominee, President Donald J. Trump,” wrote Lake, who has been rumored to be a potential running mate for Trump, to the point where she had reportedly moved into Mar-a-Lago.
DeSantis has dropped in the polls to Trump in national and state surveys, with a New York Times/Siena poll released this week showing him with just 17% of the vote in the GOP primary to Trump’s 52%.
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