Ron DeSantis says he would face severe punishment if he took classified documents while in the Navy. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Ron DeSantis suggested that he would be “a New York military tribunal in a minute” if he held classified documents while in the Navy in a veiled attack on Donald Trump.
The 44-year-old Florida governor was careful to walk a delicate line when he challenges Mr. Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as he fears alienating the former president's base.
< p>Mr. DeSantis initially expressed outrage at the Justice Department's decision to charge the 76-year-old former president with illegal possession of top-secret files after he left the White House.
But in Friday night's comments, Mr. DeSantis implicitly stressed the seriousness alleged crimes of his rival, even condemning the “weaponization” of the justice system.
“As a naval officer, if I were to have classified [documents] taken to my apartment, I would be court-martialed in New York in a minute,” he said at the GOP convention in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Governor allegedly discussed the case involving Hillary Clinton, who was investigated by the FBI for using a private mail server in her New York home for business purposes when she was secretary of state.
The FBI said that Mrs. Clinton showed “carelessness”, but did not recommend bringing charges.
“Is there a different standard for a Democratic Secretary of State compared to a former Republican President?” he said.
But Mr. DeSantis's allegation of wrongdoing in Ms. Clinton's case, and the implicit parallels he drew with Mr. Trump, were a covert defense of his rival.
Mr. Trump, who remains the leader of the Republican Party, was scheduled to address the Republicans at the state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina on Saturday. Department of Justice.He is charged with 37 counts of illegal possession of highly classified documents, including details about America's nuclear weapons and foreign allies.
The indictment of a current or former US president on federal charges is unprecedented in American history.
Stacks of boxes of classified documents have been found in Mar-a-Lago. Photo: US Department of Justice via Getty Images
Trump's allies have launched a pressure campaign to get his Republican rivals to denounce his prosecution.
Many did so for fear of alienating his supporters. Along with Mr. DeSantis, they include Mike Pence, former Vice President; Nikki Haley, former UN ambassador; and Tim Scott, senator.
However, none of them defended Mr. Trump's actions, since all the details of his handling of sensitive US intelligence information were revealed in a 49-page indictment.
>< p>Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey and another Republican candidate, called the facts of the case “terrible”.
The photographs in the document show that dozens of boxes of folders were found in Mar-a-Lago. Trump's private club and main residence in Florida.
They were found next to the shower, on the ballroom stage, and in his office and bedroom.
Some documents scattered across the floor of the warehouse The premises referred to intelligence “only available to the Five Eyes”, an intelligence-sharing network between the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
According to the prosecutor's office. , the documents contained information about “nuclear weapons in the United States” and “nuclear capabilities of a foreign country.”
They also included information about “the potential vulnerability of the United States and its allies to military attack.”
Prosecution said Mr. Trump tried to “cover up his continued possession of classified documents” after he was issued a subpoena demanding their return.
He allegedly ordered Walt Nauta, his valet, to move the documents so that they would be hidden from his own lawyer and the FBI.
The former president was charged with 31 counts under the Espionage Act for “deliberately possessing national information.” defense.”
He also faces six other charges, including withholding documents, making false statements and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
This could lead to a hefty prison sentence. Mr. Nauta has also been charged in this case.
US President Joe Biden said he did not speak to the Justice Department about the case and was not alerted to Mr. Trump's indictment.
Mr. Trump denies any wrongdoing, saying, “I am innocent.”
He will plead not guilty when he appears in court in Miami on Tuesday and urged his supporters to gather outside.
He wrote on his social media: “SEE YOU IN MIAMI TUESDAY!!!”
The political impact of Trump's latest indictment is not yet clear.
Poll YouGov, conducted last month, showed that most Democrats and independent voters consider seizing highly classified documents and preventing their return as a serious crime. About 42% of Republicans agreed with this.
1006 How people reacted to potential accusations of Trump in connection with classified documents
Trump aides, however, said they expected to collect millions of dollars from angry voters who believe he was treated unfairly .
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