“I think it was shown how he was in the White House and didn’t do anything while things were going on. He should have come out more forcefully,” DeSantis said Tuesday at a press conference in Columbia, S.C. "But to try to criminalize that, that’s a different issue entirely."
The former president divulged that he is the subject of a Justice Department investigation over his role in the attacks on the capital. He is not being probed over his inaction, but rather his incitement of the rioters through his false assertions that he was the real victor of the 2020 election.
While also having been found liable for sexual assault, Trump has been indicted on several criminal charges in connection with his withholding of more than 100 classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He is facing one charge under the Espionage Act, as well as charges of obstruction of justice, destruction or falsification of records, conspiracy, and false statements.
DeSantis has dodged discussing Trump's legal battles before, also denying to comment on the January 6 insurrection at a campaign event in New Hampshire.
“I wasn’t anywhere near Washington that day. I have nothing to do with what happened that day,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t enjoy seeing, you know, what happened. But we gotta go forward on this stuff. We cannot be looking backwards and be mired in the past.”
DeSantis' lax attitudes towards the insurrection have sparked criticism even from his GOP constituents. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is also vying for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, told CNN that the Florida Governor's claims are "ridiculous."
“He wasn’t anywhere near Washington. Did he have a TV? Was he alive that day? Did he see what was going on? I mean, that’s one of the most ridiculous answers I’ve heard in this race so far,” Christie said.
