TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has harshly rebuked Donald Trump's guilty verdict Thursday, where the former president was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
DeSantis courted the endorsement of Trump in 2018, often seen as crucial in his primary victory over Adam Putnam, an endorsement Trump said he later regretted. The former president constantly belittled and criticized the Florida governor on the campaign trail.
After dropping out in January, DeSantis endorsed Trump, vowing to fundraise for Trump.
The governor posted on X after the verdict was released:
"Today’s verdict represents the culmination of a legal process that has been bent to the political will of the actors involved: a leftist prosecutor, a partisan judge and a jury reflective of one of the most liberal enclaves in America—all in an effort to “get” Donald Trump.
That this case—involving alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago—was even brought is a testament to the political debasement of the justice system in places like New York City. This is especially true considering this same district attorney routinely excuses criminal conduct in a way that has endangered law-abiding citizens in his jurisdiction.
It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law. If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict.
In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court."
In his first comments after the verdict, the former president repeated many of the claims he's made throughout the trial, calling it a "disgrace" and "rigged," while lashing out at the judge.
Trump's sentencing is set for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention.