Authorities in Palm Beach, Florida are reportedly preparing for the possibility of the former president getting indicted, Politico reported Thursday, citing two high-ranking county officials.
The officials revealed to Politico that law enforcement agencies have taken part in planning sessions as Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance inches closer to secure an indictment against Trump while he’s at his Mar-A-Lago residence — and working out what might happen if Gov. Ron DeSantis invokes an obscure state law to protect his fellow Republican.
Joe Abruzzo, a circuit court clerk for Palm Beach County, told the news outlet that the Florida statute “leaves room for interpretation that the governor has the power to order a review and potentially not comply with the extradition notice.”
A clause in Florida’s interstate extradition gives DeSantis the power to investigate whether an indicted person — in this case, Trump — must be surrendered to law enforcement officials from another state, but the twice-impeached one-term president is planning to relocate soon to his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf resort as Mar-A-Lago closes for the summer.
New Jersey’s extradition statute is similar to Florida’s, but Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy is far less likely to intervene on Trump’s behalf.
Trump’s attorneys could potentially negotiate terms of surrender if he was indicted, which would cut out local law enforcement, but the former president’s allies could try to make a big deal out of Abruzzo’s past association with President Joe Biden’s younger brother, Frank, although the county clerk says his friendship would play no role in this case.
“The full extent of the law will be followed and carried out appropriately, without bias,” Abruzzo told Politico.
