DeSantis says he hopes his rival Trump isn't charged over Jan. 6

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said Tuesday that he hopes former President Donald Trump does not get charged over the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

“I do not wanna see him – I hope he doesn’t get charged. I don’t think it’ll be good for the country. But at the same time, I’ve gotta focus on looking forward, and that’s what we’re gonna do,” DeSantis told CNN during an exclusive interview.

“Are you saying that if (Special Counsel Jack Smith) finds evidence of criminality, he should not charge Donald Trump anyway?” CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked DeSantis, who replied: “What I'm saying is that, if you're going after somebody on the other side of the political spectrum, if you're stretching statutes to try to criminalize maybe political disagreements, that is wrong.”

"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 okay, you don't like somebody, then defeat them in the election rather than trying to use the justice system," he added.

DeSantis said "as president" his job will be to "restore a single standard of justice, to end weaponization of these (federal) agencies.”

"We're going to have a new FBI director on day one. We're going to have big changes at the Department of Justice," he said.

“This country needs to have a debate about the country’s future. If I’m the nominee, I will be able to focus on President (Joe) Biden’s failures. Then I’ll be able to articulate a positive vision for the future," he added.

Trump said Tuesday that Justice Department officials have informed him that he is a target of their investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Trump said he received a letter from officials in Special Counsel Smith's office on Sunday that told him he has "four days" to present himself to the grand jury investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, which he said "almost always means an Arrest and Indictment."

"Nothing like this has ever happened in our Country before, or even close," Trump, who remains the leading Republican candidate heading into next year's presidential polls, said in a statement.