Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) defended his 2016 rival, former President Donald J. Trump, on Saturday, calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him “very political.”
“Bragg’s predecessor didn’t take up the case. The Justice Department didn’t take up the case. Bragg first said he would not take up the case,” Bush tweeted.
“This is very political, not a matter of justice. In this case, let the jury be the voters,” he added.
A New York grand jury returned an indictment of Trump on Thursday, which will remain under seal until after the 45th president is arraigned. Bragg’s office confirmed that he had contacted Trump’s legal counsel to coordinate a surrender, which is expected to take place next week. It has been widely reported that the case surrounds alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, and according to CNN, Trump faces more than 30 business fraud-related counts.
Many have critiqued the case. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley has dubbed it “legally pathetic” and, like Bush, highlighted that federal prosecutors and state prosecutors under Bragg’s predecessor opted not to pursue it in the past. Myriad prominent Republicans have labeled the D.A. office’s pursuit of the case “politically motivated.”
Trump slammed the indictment as “Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history” and labeled it “an act of blatant Election Interference.”
While appearing on Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Saturday, Trump advisor Jason Miller told host Matthew Boyle that “President Trump’s in great spirits” following the indictment.
“It’s how he powers through in the face of adversity and how he’s been doing this ever since he came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower is just amazing. No one else in history has been able to do this,” Miller said, adding, ” The more they attack him, the stronger he gets.”
Trump and Bush clashed epically in 2016 as they fought for the Republican nomination along with a crowded field of opponents. Though tensions ran hot and high, their relationship cannot be confined to interactions on the campaign trail or debate stage. Following the passing of former President George H.W. Bush in 2018, Jeb said he received a call from Trump who “couldn’t have been nicer,” as Breitbart News reported.
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