DeSantis hopes Trump 'doesn't get charged' in Jan. 6 probe

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed hope on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump will not face charges in special counsel Jack Smith's Jan. 6 probe, contending that such a development would shape the presidential contest around a years-old event rather than candidates' competing visions for the future.

"I don’t think it serves us good to have a presidential election focused on what happened four years ago in January," he told CNN's Jake Tapper. "I do not wanna see him — I hope he doesn’t get charged. I don’t think it’ll be good for the country. But at the same time, I’ve gotta focus on looking forward, and that’s what we’re gonna do."

"I wanna focus on looking forward. I don’t wanna look back," he added.

Trump, for his part, announced on Tuesday that the Department of Justice had informed him that he is a target in Smith's investigation of the Jan. 6 probe. Smith has previously charged Trump in relation to the documents recovered from his Mar-a-Lago estate.

"Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden's DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and indictment," Trump said.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to both Smith's charges and to those stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case involving a 2016 payment to Stormy Daniels. He has further characterized all his myriad legal woes as part of a collective witch hunt to damage his political prospects.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.