Prosecutors could put DeSantis in 'an unenviable dilemma' with a Trump indictment: NYT

Should a Manhattan grand jury hand down an indictment against Donald Trump this week or later, how the former president responds with regard to turning himself in could have huge implications for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

With the former president claiming he will be arrested on Tuesday for his 2016 hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, it is expected that the former president will jet from his Mar-a-Lago home to New York and surrender to authorities.

However, the unpredictable and publicity-hungry Trump could elect to stay in Florida and force Bragg's hand to ask Florida to extradite the former president, which could complicate things for DeSantis as he continues to set up a 2024 presidential run of his own.

According to the New York Times, the law is on Bragg's side but DeSantis will have to weigh the political consideration of agreeing with the Manhattan DA and infuriating the hardcore conservative voters he would need to win the 2024 GOP nomination.

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"Surrender, some might argue, is not in the confrontational former president’s DNA, and he often seems to relish antagonizing and attacking the prosecutors who have investigated him," the Times report states before adding, "In the unlikely event that the former president refuses to surrender, he would put Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, his leading but undeclared rival for the Republican nomination, in an awkward political position. Under law, the role of Mr. DeSantis would be essentially ministerial and he would have few legal options other than approving an extradition request from New York."

"Still, if New York prosecutors sought Mr. Trump’s extradition, Mr. DeSantis would face an unenviable dilemma. He would be compelled to choose between authorizing an arrest warrant for Mr. Trump and inflaming his base, or attempting in some way to aide his Republican rival, and possibly face legal action as a result," the Times report added.

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