Скачать или смотреть Florida lawmaker says DeSantis threw 'weird hissy fit' over his Hope Florida probe

A Republican state lawmaker facing the ire of Governor Ron DeSantis says his decision to submit documents that may have led to an investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation is not based on political motivations.

“It's just weird that Gov. DeSantis threw such a weird hissy fit yesterday and made me the center of it, like he's got a problem with me reporting evidence of a crime to law enforcement. That's where we're at,” State Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) said.

During a news conference Wednesday, DeSantis slammed Andrade, calling him a “jackass" who is attempting to smear first lady Casey DeSantis and the charity associated with her program that aims to get in-need Floridians on a path off government assistance.

The governor fiercely responded to questions after Jack Campbell, the public records custodian in the state attorney's office, confirmed the existence of “an open, ongoing investigation” Tuesday, first reported by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times.

“He took documents, and he dropped them in a prosecutor's office. That is not an organic investigation. That's a manufactured political operation. That's all this is,” DeSantis said. “Somebody with an agenda dropped off documents and that's all that that custodian of record has said. There is no basis to do an investigation on these facts."

The foundation has faced weeks-long scrutiny stemming from a $10 million donation the foundation got last year alongside a larger, $57 million state Medicaid settlement.

A letter from AHCA says the settlement donation was not illicit, nor comprised of Medicaid funds.

The Hope Florida Foundation soon after granted millions to two nonprofits that, around the same time, contributed money to a political effort championed by Gov. DeSantis and his then-chief of staff, now Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Last month, a Florida House committee led by Andrade halted its probe into the foundation, after which the Republican accused members of the DeSantis administration of misusing Medicaid funds.

Andrade admits he submitted documents to both the state attorney’s office in Leon County and the Department of Justice. He says he has not talked to the former directly.

“I'm not a prosecutor. I don't have to prove this claim beyond a reasonable doubt in a court in front of a jury, but I have more than enough information, more than enough knowledge and documents that show exactly what happened,” Andrade said. “And what happened was James Uthmeier took $10 million from state coffers and funneled it to his PAC.”