Tapper Questions DeSantis: ‘You’re Saying’ Jack Smith ‘Should Not Charge’ Trump Even If He’s Guilty?

Presidential hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suggested special counsel Jack Smith would be “criminalizing political differences” if he were to charge Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.

In an exclusive interview, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked DeSantis, “You are saying that if [Smith] finds evidence of criminality, he should not charge Donald Trump in any way?”

“What I’m saying is, when you’re going after somebody on the other side of the political spectrum — if you’re stretching statues to try to criminalize, maybe, political disagreements — that is wrong,” DeSantis said. “Now, look, this is all speculation. But I think we’ve gone down the road in this country of trying to criminalize differences in politics, rather than saying, ‘OK, you don’t like somebody? Then defeat them in the election,’ rather than trying to use the justice system.”

DeSantis’ answer assumed that Smith is somehow working with the Democrats to “get Trump,” even though Smith is widely seen as a credible and impartial prosecutor — having led investigations against prominent Democrats as well.

When appointing Smith as special counsel, Attorney General Merrick Garland touted his experience as chief prosecutor for the special court in The Hague, and said Smith “will exercise independent prosecutorial judgment to decide whether charges should be brought.”

Tuesday, Trump announced on Truth Social that Smith’s office sent him a target letter in the Capitol riot criminal probe and that he’s “almost” certain he’ll be indicted. Trump’s former attorney Jim Schultz told CNN earlier Tuesday that the target letter “shows that there is a degree of legal jeopardy coming in the direction of the former president.”

Smith is also prosecuting Trump on 37 charges related to his possession and handling of classified documents. A hearing today determined that the start of the trial may be pushed back later than the December date proposed by prosecutors.

DeSantis told Tapper, “I hope [Trump] doesn’t get charged” in connection with Jan. 6, saying, “I don’t think it serves us good to focus on what happened four years ago in January. And so, I want to focus on looking forward.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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