So the whole Trump indictment process is political. Of course it is. Which gives DeSantis a little problem:
The law in Florida means the governor can intervene in an extradition if it is contested.
He’s decided that FL won’t accord with an extradition request. Which he’s got the right to do.
But this is an intensely political decision, obviously. Given that both are going to be running for the R nomination, does he defend Trump and so consolidate the base? Or “leave it to the courts” in order to gain some of the undecideds. Well, that choice has been made but I’d not want to have to be the one to make the calculation.
According to the BBC website, Mr Trump is being prosecuted for “paying off” Stormy Daniels – which is somehow supposedly illegal. Would I be right in assuming that the Dems will next be after Prince Andrew for settling out of court and paying that “Epstein’s Island” bird a shedload of money?
Nah, this is the easiest political calculation DeSantis will make all year.
There’s zero votes (actually, negative votes) in it for him if he is seen as cooperating with the regime’s show trials.
Pretty much everybody who hates Trump also hates DeSantis, and nearly everybody who likes DeSantis also likes Trump.
There’s also the small detail that DeSantis will be next on the hit list after they successfully criminalise their former president. No point in selling your enemies the rope they plan to hang you with.
I think the chances of Trump holing up in Florida indefinitely are slim.
It is incredible, the guy has been under investigation for decades, runs multi billion dollar businesses. We know he is not a saint. He must have some actual skeletons, many skeletons in fact, in many closets. Yet this is the best they can come up with.
Yet this is the best they can come up with.
Ah, but consider the precedent of Al Capone whose Nemesis proved to be tax naughtiness. Elliot “Murphy” Ness brung home the bacon.
A propos of which, wouldn’t it be timely to bring The Untouchables up to date with a modern-day sequel? Perhaps Donald T would fund the venture?
Given how extremely thin the line between “bribe”, “pay off”, and “settled out of court” is in the US this comes across as the prosecution taking itself behind the barn after shooting itself in both feet first.
Guess it’s popcorn time..
This issue is just a battle, the war is against the Democrat regime. DeSabtis is fighting the war, not engaging in the particular battle. Also, he may end up on the ticket as Trump’s VP, which would position him nicely for a win in 2028, when those 75 + million will vote for Continuity Trump, added to DeSantis’s own followers.
Apparently even those not inclined to vote Trump, are swinging behind him as they see it as Government out of control and the Democrats weaponising of the legal system to take out political opponents.
Commentators in the US see this as making it more likely that Trump,will win in 2024.
DeSantis made the best possible decision. If Trump goes on to win the nomination, DeSantis still has first dibs on the VP position (and that often leads directly into the presidency). If DeSantis doesn’t help Trump, regardless if there’s a conviction or not, he’s then seen as a part of the Swamp, Deep State, a Fed, a grifter and a Never Trumper. If you’ve heard anything about the Lincoln Project or Bulwark, or Liz Cheney, being a Never Trumper Republican doesn’t end well.
This also is showing DeSantis’ power and leadership as governor, much like Abbott sent illegals from Texas to New York, and fought the federal government on building a border wall. Most republicans merely write a strongly-worded letter, so I see this as a win-win for everyone.
Worst-case scenario, Trump can’t run after serving one more term, and DeSantis will then be the first choice.
@The Meissen Bison
Al Capone killed people. Trump posted mean tweets. Even semantically, Biden killed more people than Trump by way of the foreign conflicts and wars he signed off on.
Even if it is political, DeSantis has a clear interest in the result, so he should recuse himself from any decision.
And it seems ridiculous to think that failure to extradite Trump would make a difference. Trump is hardly likely to spend the rest of his life in Florida and would be liable to being arrested in many other places.
“And it seems ridiculous to think that failure to extradite Trump would make a difference. ”
But it’s a stake in the ground that RdS is not going to play ball with the process. If Trump toddles off somewhere else and gets picked up, that’s on him.