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What if Trump Refuses to Surrender? [1]
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Date: 2023-03-30
Beware when Trump puts his hand on you.
The New York Times has been running updates on what happens now that Trump has been indicted. This includes the formal arraignment process of being fingerprinted, photographed, and possibly handcuffed (though they may skip that part for several reasons). Trump has said he will appear when summoned. But what if he doesn’t? Here’s what William K. Rashbaum of the Times is speculating:
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. He has called Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who secured the hush money indictment and who is Black, “a racist,” and said that his investigation was politically motivated.
All quite true. To which I’ll add that Trump still thinks he’s above the law, and that his supporters will save him from it. But Rushbaum adds this wrinkle:
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, Mr. DeSantis’s role would be essentially ministerial and he would have few legal options other than approving an extradition request from New York.
Trump, of course, would like nothing better than to put DeSantis in an awkward position. There is absolutely NO chance he hasn’t thought about this twist, because, as Rushbaum concludes:
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 aid his Republican rival, and possibly face legal action as a result.
That doesn’t mean Trump will do it. But I am convinced he’s thinking about it — not just because he wants to avoid being fingerprinted, etc., but because it could give him another weapon against his rival.
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And this from the Washington Post a few minutes ago:
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