Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Trump indictment: 'Florida will not assist in an extradition request'
ORLANDO, Fla. - Following news that former president Donald Trump had been indicted by a New York grand jury, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would not assist with an extradition request, should Trump not surrender to authorities in New York.
"Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda," DeSantis said in a tweet late Thursday night.
"The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head," DeSantis said. "It is un-American."
He also accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of "stretching the law to target a political opponent," and of downgrading felony charges.
An indictment informs someone of the charges against them and contains basic information about those charges. A grand jury listens to potential witnesses and prosecutors about an alleged crime and the evidence and then votes on whether someone should be indicted or not. The case then goes to trial.
It was not immediately clear what specific charges Trump was indicted on.
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Florida politicians react to Donald Trump's criminal indictment
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was indicted on Thursday by a New York grand jury after years of investigations into his business, politics, and personal dealings.
In his own statement on social media, Trump referred to the indictment as the next step in a "witch-hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," and said "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."
Bragg released a short statement Thursday night and said it had reached Trump's attorney to let him know about the indictment and to "coordinate his (Trump's) surrender" in New York to be arraigned on the alleged charges.
Details of the indictment would remain closed under seal, his statement said. It was not immediately known when Trump would be arraigned.