GOP Rep. Massie jokes that DeSantis needs an indictment to close gap with Trump

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has suggested that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ought to seek out a judge to indict him in order to close the polling gap with former President Donald Trump.

"I’ve said we gotta figure out, we got to find some judge in Florida that’ll indict DeSantis quick, to close this indictment gap. It’s a truism that anytime someone is being persecuted, their camp rallies to their defense," the lawmaker said during an interview with The Miami Herald.

Trump has already been indicted by both Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and special counsel Jack Smith in unrelated cases. Smith has subsequently filed a superseding indictment to add charges to his existing case. He further is expected to charge Trump in his Jan. 6 probe. Meanwhile, Fulton County Fani Willis is conducting a probe into Trump's efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia and may bring charges of her own.

The former president has characterized the cases as part of a political witch hunt and the prior indictments appear to have prompted Republicans to rally in his defense. Trump stands well ahead of his primary rivals in most polls, earning an average lead of 35.7%, according to RealClearPolitics.

Massie opined that the optics of multiple indictments helped to make Trump a sympathetic character and put his primary opponents in a difficult position on how best to react.

"I feel sympathy for Trump," he said. "And I understand why people are gravitating towards him in this time. It’s a referendum on the swamp versus Trump, and it’s seen as, if you don’t support Trump in this moment, some of the voters see it as being swampy. If you’re not with him, you must be with the other guys."

DeSantis has continuously sagged in the polls since announcing his campaign, though he remains the clear second-place candidate in the race.

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