Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) once again took to attacking the FBI and the Department of Justice when asked about former President Donald Trump's latest legal problems during a CNN interview with host Jake Tapper on Tuesday.
The interview comes on the same day Trump revealed he received a target letter from special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a sign that an indictment could come down later. Trump also said he will need to appear before the grand jury within four days.
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"So here's the problem: This country is going down the road of criminalizing political differences, and I think that's wrong," DeSantis told Tapper in Columbia, South Carolina, before he pivoted to lambasting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Bragg announced a 34-count indictment against Trump in April over a hush money payment scheme with porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
"Alvin Bragg stretched the statute in Manhattan to be able to try to target Donald Trump. Most people, even people on the Left, acknowledge if that wasn't Trump, that case would not have likely been brought against the normal civilian," DeSantis said. "And so you have a situation where the Department of Justice, FBI have been weaponized against people they don't like and the No. 1 example that happened to be against Donald Trump with the Russia collusion."
The interview is widely seen as part of DeSantis's presidential campaign reboot as he has struggled to challenge Trump for the Republican 2024 nomination effectively. The governor continues to trail the former president by more than 30 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average that shows Trump at 53.7% and DeSantis at 20.2%. Yet DeSantis is still Trump's closest competitor regarding money being raised and according to national polling.
DeSantis has faced an onslaught of negative news headlines over his campaign firing several staffers and GOP donors questioning his ability to become the sole anti-Trump candidate in the Republican primary. After largely eschewing such media outlets, he's now participating in an interview with CNN.
During his CNN interview, DeSantis said he would replace FBI Director Christopher Wray on his first day in office if elected president.
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"If I'm the nominee, we'll be able to focus on President Biden's failures, and I'll be able to articulate a positive vision for the future," DeSantis said. "I don't think it serves us good to have a presidential election focused on what happened four years ago in January. And so I want to focus on looking forward. I don't want to look back."
The governor later added he didn't want to see Trump get indicted. "I don't think it'd be good for the country. But at the same time, I've got to focus on looking forward, and that's what we're going to do," he added.