According to Fox News, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) released a statement on Saturday in which he slammed what he referred to as the "very political" indictment of former President Donald Trump.
What makes this so surprising, of course, is the history between Trump and Jeb Bush, who is the second son of former President George H.W. Bush.
The reader will likely remember what took place in 2016 when Bush and Trump collided while both men were attempting to become the Republican Party's nominee for the U.S. presidency. That's when Trump dubbed Bush "Low Energy Jeb."
Trump went on to win the nomination and the presidency. And, in establishing his "America First" brand of Republicanism, Trump set himself in opposition to establishment Republicans, which is what Bush and his family are.
With all of this in mind, one would not expect "Low Energy Jeb" to be coming to the defense of Trump.
He tried not to.
Bush, on Saturday, wrote:
Bragg’s predecessor didn’t take up the case. The Justice Department didn’t take up the case. Bragg first said he would not take up the case. This is very political, not a matter of justice. In this case, let the jury be the voters.
As you can see, Bush, here, tried to make it appear not that he is coming out in support of Trump - which would be a "no-no" for him and his fellow establishment Republicans - but that he is coming out in opposition to injustice.
Still, coming out in opposition to the indictment is supporting Trump, which begs the question: why did Bush say anything?
There are many, many Republicans who have come out in support of Trump since the news of the indictment broke. Their statements can be found here.
There, however, are some notable absences, and, perhaps, the most noticeable absence of all is U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Fox News reports, "since Trump's indictment was reported Thursday, McConnell has issued no public statements on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's criminal case against the former president and leading Republican 2024 candidate."
At this point, this is really not that surprising from McConnell, who has clearly sought to distance himself from Trump. But, once again, it begs the question as to why Jeb Bush decided to say something rather than keep silent.
Perhaps, as Bush himself said, it is "very political."
