DeSantis, More Republicans Respond to Trump Indictment

Earlier on Thursday, RedState reported on the breaking news that former President Donald Trump will likely be indicted by a grand jury impaneled in Miami in the coming days. Reactions from conservative lawmakers and others on the right came pouring in, with comments registered from people as varied as conservative commentator Dan Bongino, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and more.

(See: Conservatives Go Ballistic Over Latest Trump Indictment, Call Into Question the Timing)

The reactions from Republicans have continued into the late evening. Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) condemned the imminent indictment against Trump as “the most severe election interference”:

This phony Boxes Hoax indictment against President Trump reflects the most severe election interference on the part of the federal government that we have EVER seen! pic.twitter.com/Rl9hiSjhO0

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) June 9, 2023

There were also a slew of Republican presidential primary candidates for 2024 speaking out, most notably, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who noted the stark difference in treatment under the law of Trump vs. Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden by the Justice Department:

The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.

We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation.

Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?

The DeSantis…

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 9, 2023

He writes:

The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.

We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation.

Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?

The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all.

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), in an interview with Fox News Thursday evening, addressed the obvious “weaponization of the DOJ” under President Joe Biden. Scott said:

What we’ve seen over the last several years is the weaponization of the Department [of] Justice against a former president.

You don’t have to be a Republican to see injustice and want to fix it. You don’t have to be a Democrat to see injustice and want to fix it. You just have to be an American and stand up for the right thing.

Biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy released a statement calling for “principles over politics,” and flatly promised to “pardon Trump promptly” on Inauguration Day in 2025:

We can’t have two tiers of justice: one for Trump, another for Biden. One for Assange, another for Manning. One for BLM/Antifa, another for peaceful protesters on Jan 6.

I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the…

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 9, 2023

It would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren’t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics. I commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025 and to restore the rule of law in our country.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wrote to his followers on Twitter:

We don’t get our news from Trump’s Truth Social account. Let’s see what the facts are when any possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were. We will have more to say when the facts are revealed.

— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) June 9, 2023

Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said in a statement:

With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time, our country finds itself in a position that weakens our democracy.

Donald Trump’s actions—from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law—should not define our nation or the Republican Party.

This reaction, though, from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is hilarious, and at the same time, leaves no doubt how the Democrats will proceed against conservatives—if allowed to win the 2024 presidential election: