Trump’s MAGA inner circle furious at DeSantis and Nikki Haley for failing to call out Manhattan DA

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have been attacked by some Trump loyalists for not commenting on rumors that the former president will be arrested on Tuesday.

MAGA Republicans have criticized DeSantis and Haley for not speaking out against the Manhattan district attorney’s office for what they say is a weaponization of the justice system.

DeSantis is rumored to be preparing to run against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Haley was the first to enter the race after Trump.

Jason Miller, a Trump adviser and the former CEO of the right-wing free speech app Gettr, noted a “radio silence” from the two since the rumors gained momentum early Saturday.

At the same time, he shared comments from Mike Pence, who on Saturday charged Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg with a “political prosecution” after rumors circulated that his office would sue Trump for hush money payments by Stormy Daniels.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, now one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress and once a trusted Trump ally, also spoke in his defense Saturday morning.

He wrote, “Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical prosecutor who lets violent criminals go free while pursuing political vengeance against President Trump.

“I am instructing relevant committees to immediately investigate whether federal funds are being used to undermine our democracy by disrupting elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”

On Sunday, he tweeted again: “Alvin Bragg is abusing office to attack President Trump.”

Mounting pressure on DeSantis has been that he is the governor of Florida, the state Trump has made his home since leaving office.

Far-right social media personality Mike Cernovich suggested that the governor make it clear that he would not extradite Trump from Florida without a “proper legal review.”

“DeSantis is committing his first unforced error in failing to expose this lawless act,” he said. One Twitter user pointed out that Trump had suggested that he turn himself in in his original Truth Social and that it was not an extradition case.

Ben Kew, editor-in-chief of the conservative news site Red State, wrote in response: “I say this as his most ardent supporter, but Ron DeSantis is making a huge mistake by not speaking out on the issue of Trump’s prosecution.”

The pressure DeSantis is now under to comment on Trump’s alleged indictment was especially evident in responses to the governor’s most recent tweet, released Saturday afternoon, related to Hurricane Ian.

“The world is watching your every move Ron,” read one of the top replies.

“You are making a serious decision by not tackling the current corruption. By being silent, we know you were bought and paid for, which is horrific for the future of this country,” read another.

“My god I never thought Ron’s comments would look like this…” one person tweeted.

While DeSantis was soon accused of cynical political strategies. Longtime presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy tried to use the situation to his advantage.

He had harsh words for the field of Republicans on Saturday, claiming their silence could be “the beginning of the end.”

If charges are filed in the case involving Trump’s hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, it would be the first against the former president – and could open a floodgate for other cases against him.

“Today was an important day in the country,” Ramaswamy said at a brief press conference following his own comments on the forum.

“The reason I’m doing this is because the rest of the Republican field, I think, has been deafeningly silent on an important issue in the country,” he added of news that an indictment could be looming.

“What I am about to say has nothing to do with Donald Trump and everything to do with the integrity of elections and the integrity of a self-governing democracy,” the biotech multimillionaire added.

“So I don’t care if you support Trump or not, if you are in favor of the integrity of our constitutional republic then you should stand aside to be very clear.”

Ramaswamy has been very vocal about the prospect of an indictment against Trump, claiming there would be no case if Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was not seriously anti-Trump.

He claimed at his press conference in Charleston on Saturday that Bragg is a “politically empowered prosecutor” seeking to “eliminate a ruling party’s opposition using arrest power.”