MSNBC Host Joy Reid criticized Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for defending former President Donald Trump in the wake of his indictment.
“It is a statement without dignity. The governor of Florida does not know the facts so he cannot talk about questionable facts in this case, he doesn’t know them, only the grand jury knows them. This is a sealed indictment,” Reid said on her 7 p.m. show, “The Reidout.” (RELATED: Trump Reacts To Being Indicted)
.@JoyAnnReid on @GovRonDeSantis saying he won’t extradict Trump.: He was “throwing out … dog whistles … this meme, this idea among the right that African-Americans, that black folks in positions of power are controlled by some Jewish overseer who is pulling the strings” pic.twitter.com/5QnlPZlVbQ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 30, 2023
“So he’s making a statement about something he doesn’t know the answer to and throwing out, as you said, Andrew, dog whistles, you know historically, this meme, this idea among the right that African-Americans, that black folks who are in positions of power are controlled by some Jewish overseer who is pulling their strings. That’s what that statement reads like and perhaps this governor should maybe read a history book to speak, because he might not understand what he is channeling,” Reid continued. “He is channeling an era in American history that is one of the most ugly. That he’s probably not allowing to be taught in school.”
Reid was discussing DeSantis’ statement with former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissman who worked on Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis said in a statement. “The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.”
DeSantis added that Florida would “not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances” of Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury related to a $130,000 hush-money payment Trump allegedly directed attorney Michael Cohen to send to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.