Ron DeSantis Defends Donald Trump Following Jan. 6 Plot Indictment

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) immediately offered his thoughts on Donald Trump’s latest indictment, in which he was accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

On Tuesday, Trump was charged with four counts of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct the official electoral proceeding on January 6, 2021. DeSantis, Trump’s opponent in 2024 GOP presidential primary, took to Twitter to suggest that the former president would not get a fair trial if the jurors were residents of Washington, D.C.

“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,” wrote DeSantis. “One of the reasons our country is in decline is the politicization of the rule of law. No more excuses — I will end the weaponization of the federal government.”

As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans.

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While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment. I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right…

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 1, 2023

DeSantis is not the only Republican official who has come to Trump’s defense amid a swarm of indictments. In a statement to The New York Times, Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) echoed the conservative narrative that the Justice Department, under President Joe Biden’s orders, conducted a politically motivated investigation into Trump.

Vivek Ramaswamy, another GOP presidential candidate, called Tuesday’s indictment “un-American,” asserting in a previous statement that “Trump isn’t responsible for what happened on January 6. The real cause was systematic and pervasive censorship of citizens in the year leading up to it.”

Some Republicans, however, have not been as understanding. Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) was the first presidential candidate to respond to the indictment with the statement that “Trump’s presidential bid is driven by an attempt to stay out of prison and scam his supporters into footing his legal bills.”

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is running an outright anti-Trump campaign, has stated that the former president is “morally responsible for the attack on our democracy” and has urged voters to “choose a different path.”

Trump appeared at the D.C. district courthouse on Thursday for his arraignment.