Those who think Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ influence in Tallahassee may be diminished because his presidential campaign ended may want to think again.
The state senator who sought to establish a taxpayer-funded slush fund to cover former President Donald Trump’s legal bills pulled his measure after DeSantis announced it would be dead on arrival at his desk.
As the Tampa Free Press reported on Tuesday, Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia of Miami floated a bill that would set aside up to $5 million to cover legal costs of presidential candidates who are Florida residents and also “subject to political discrimination” by the U.S. Justice Department or district attorneys.
Read: Legal Ethics Expert In Georgia Calls For Fani Willis To ‘Step Aside’ From Trump Case
Trump faces myriad legal issues at the moment, with both civil and criminal cases ongoing in Florida, Georgia, New York, and Washington, D.C. Collectively, Trump is on the hook for 91 counts in the criminal cases, which include federal and state charges for mishandling classified documents and seeking to overturn the 2020 election.
On Monday, Garcia told Politico, “We’re watching an election that’s trying to be stolen by left-wing prosecutors, the Biden Administration and even Blue States. They’re not trying to win at the ballot box; they’re trying to keep President Trump off the ballot by weaponizing the courts.”
On X, in response to Politico’s headline — which read, “Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trump’s legal bills” — DeSantis countered, “But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen.”
Read: Polls Show Trump’s Support Soared Once Florida Gov. DeSantis Exited The GOP Primary
Garcia replied to DeSantis on X with the announcement that the bill would go away.
“This bill was filed on January 5th amidst a crowded primary, including two Florida residents,” she wrote. “My concern was the political weaponization against conservative candidates, and while [Florida Chief Financial Officer] @JimmyPatronis brought me this bill at a time when all candidates were committing to campaign through the primary, one frontrunner now remains, and he can handle himself.”
“I will be withdrawing the bill,” she added.
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