DeSantis denounces Georgia’s Trump indictment as ‘criminalization of politics’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Responding to the fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis said it’s the continuation of the “criminalization of politics” in the U.S.

DeSantis has previously denounced other indictments and legal actions taken against Trump, both vying for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

The governor said he hasn’t “had a chance to read it all,” referring to the new indictment, but pointed to “huge problems” with crime in the Atlanta area, the region the indictment came from.

“There has been an approach to crime which has been less than exacting,” he said. “I think there have been criminals that have been let out that shouldn’t have been let out.”

“They’re now doing an inordinate amount of resources to try to shoehorn this contest over the 2020 election into a RICO statute, which was really designed to be able to go after organized crime, not necessarily to go after political activity,” the governor differentiated.

“I think it’s an example of this criminalization of politics. I don’t think that this is something that’s good for the country,” he added.

“But I think a lot of Republican voters are looking at some of the things that have happened, whether it’s the Department of Justice, whether it is some of the things that have happened locally, and I think the question is, okay, ‘what are we going to do about it?'”

DeSantis reiterated previous vows to end “weaponization” of the federal government, other indictments against Trump originating from the Biden administration’s Department of Justice.

“We will have new leadership in the DOJ,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that there’s a single standard of justice in this country.”

He pointed to his own actions ad governor, suspending two Democratic state attorneys who his office said both violated their oaths of office by implementing their personal political philosophies over the rule of law.

Those two state attorneys include Andrew Warren of the Tampa area, suspended in 2022, and Monique Worrell of the Orlando area, suspended last week.

“As president, we will lean in against some of these local prosecutors if they are not following the law or if they are abandoning their duty to enforce the law evenly,” DeSantis continued. “I don’t know how it’s going to affect anything politically. For me, at the end of the day, it’s about ‘let’s get this country in a good direction.'”

“We need to have confidence in our justice system again, but before we get there, we need major, major accountability.”

The indictment of Trump, unveiled Monday evening, accused the former president of trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump was charged alongside 18 others with a total of 41 criminal counts, all of which involved racketeering, a charge meant for members of organized crime groups.

The case is taking place in Fulton County and was brought on by the area’s district attorney, Fani Willis.

The charges come from Trump’s phone call on Jan. 2, 2021 to Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state responsible for overseeing the election, urging the state “find” the necessary votes for Trump’s narrow deficit to turn into a lead over President Joe Biden.

Per the indictment, Trump faces 13 charges, including crimes such as racketeering, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and more.