WASHINGTON—Along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump, and Rep. Byron Donalds, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) one of the biggest political figures in Florida, recently spoke to The Floridian about the potential indictment of former President Trump and Gov. DeSantis’s “missed opportunity” to defend him.
“I’m sad for the country. I worried that an indictment of a former President ruins America’s moral authority in the world,” said Rep. Gaetz before pointing to a Reuters poll that showed 54% of Americans polled believing that the former president was being persecuted.
The growing sentiment among many political talking heads is that an indictment and arrest would embolden Trump and his base of support.
Rep. Gaetz believes that “Trump’s magic” will become stronger if he is arrested.
“Politically I think it will make Trump stronger. At times, Trump’s magic is that when he is embattled he is able to expose some the worse things in our government that need reform,” added Gaetz.
When asked about his recent remark criticizing Gov. DeSantis for saying he would not get involved if Trump was indicted and arrested, Gaetz said that DeSantis missed the boat, or opportunity, and called the potential felony charge against Trump a “misdemeanor parading around as a felony.”
“When there is a request to extradite someone, the Governor actually has a role to play to determine the sufficiency of the charge. Is someone actually being charged with a felony, that is the constitutional standard,” said DeSantis, adding, “I don’t believe this is facially a felony charge. It is a misdemeanor in drag. The Governor doesn’t like drag shows, so maybe we shouldn’t be for a misdemeanor parading around in drag as a felony? I think he can do more.”
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