News: Florida GOP swiftly comes to Trump's defense

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Florida GOP swiftly comes to Trump's defense

Aug 02, 2023

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday.

Round 3 — Former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles have expanded exponentially with a four felony count indictment that alleges that Trump illegally tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In one corner — One could argue that these charges are more serious than the first and second indictments handed down earlier this year, but the reactions from Florida Republicans were similar to those after the previous charges. Many GOPers from Florida rallied to the defense of the president, whose campaign contended the indictment was a “corrupt chapter” in another attempt to interfere with the 2024 election.

Chiming in — Sen. Rick Scott said on social media that “it seems like every time we learn more about Biden’s shady business dealings, his [Department of Justice] indicts President Trump.” Rep. Matt Gaetz called the indictment a “total disgrace to the United States of America.” (Sen. Marco Rubio did not weigh in...)

And from Trump’s rival — Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is challenging Trump for president — weighed in as well, albeit with a bit of a twist. A quick reminder that DeSantis, who has said lately he doesn’t want the 2024 election to be about the past, has never squarely said one way or the other that he agreed with Trump’s assertion that the election was rigged. Instead he usually pivots to talking about the “weaponization” of the federal government when he mentions Trump’s legal problems.

Gator country — In a social media post that came out just minutes after the charges were announced, DeSantis said he had not “read” the indictment but asserted that Trump and others can not get a fair trial in Washington D.C. “Washington, DC is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality,” his post read. (The replies were quite interesting … with Trump supporters and DeSantis critics equally bashing DeSantis.)

Context — For what it’s worth — hours before the indictment was announced Trump was tearing into DeSantis on his Truth Social media platform, including showing pictures of him wearing a mask and promoting vaccines during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The other corner — Florida Democrats had their own sharp reactions to the indictment. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called it the “most grave” of the charges against Trump, while Rep. Frederica Wilson said the indictment sends “a resounding message that no one, no matter how powerful or influential, is above the law.”

Find another metaphor — Rep. Jared Moskowitz did not comment directly about the indictment but he did object sharply to the Trump campaign comparing the latest indictments to the days of Nazi Germany. “The systematic murdering of Jews and throwing them in ovens should never be compared to anything, let alone a 3 time indicted loser President grifting off the middle class to pay his legal bills,” Moskowitz said on social media.

— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.

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TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

THE DETAILS — “Key revelations, groundbreaking strategies and notable omissions in the new Trump indictment, by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney

FOLLOW THE MONEY — Trump’s indictments are having diminishing returns for his political fundraising, by POLITICO’s Jessica Piper: Donald Trump’s legal troubles have created windfalls for his political fundraising in the past. And his team has not been shy about using various investigations, indictments and court appearances to turbocharge his donor base. But new data filed with the Federal Election Commission by WinRed, the premiere GOP donation processor used by Trump and most other Republican candidates, shows that trend may be ebbing.

— “Trump is charged under civil rights law used to prosecute KKK violence,” by The Washington Post’s Isaac Stanley-Becker and Spencer S. Hsu

— “Trump’s case has broad implications for American democracy,” by The New York Times’ Peter Baker

— “The five wildest quotes in Trump’s indictment,” by The Messenger’s Nicole Guadiano and Rich Leiby

DESANTISLAND

ACCIDENT UPDATE — The Chattanooga car crash DeSantis was involved in last week, which ended with three cars being towed, contains a nugget that caught our attention.

Chattanooga police previously said the cars involved in last week’s crash were government vehicles taking DeSantis and his team to a fundraiser. That revelation led to reports that DeSantis had improperly used state government-funded transportation.

But that appears not to have been the case, according to our reading of the crash report we just got. The documents list the car’s owners as “PV Holdings,” which is the parent company of Avis and Budget car rental companies. Neither the DeSantis campaign nor the Chattanooga Police Department answered questions about how the discrepancy occurred.

BUCKLE UP — We also learned from the report that nobody got a ticket and that the governor was wearing his seatbelt.

VEEP VISIT — Vice President Kamala Harris was back in Florida yesterday — her second trip to the state in just a week and the fourth visit this year. The night before she arrived, the White House emailed the DeSantis office "confirming receipt" of his letter inviting her to Florida to discuss the state’s African American history standards, and said officers would "flag for the appropriate channels," according to an email viewed by POLITICO.

In a speech before the African Methodist Episcopal Women's Missionary Society 20th Quadrennial Convention, Harris RSVP’d “no” to DeSantis’ invite.

"I'm here in Florida and I will tell you there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact: there were no redeeming qualities of slavery," she said.

GULP — “Gaetz calls DeSantis ‘thirsty’ for inviting Harris to Florida amid curriculum drama,” by The Hill’s Lauren Sforza: “Imagine being desperate enough to be thirsty for a Kamala visit,” Gaetz posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, alongside the letter DeSantis sent to Harris inviting her to Florida.

— “Big donors to DeSantis’ governor campaigns aren’t funding his presidential bid,” by McClatchy D.C.’s Ben Wieder and Alex Roarty

— “American Bar Association plans to honor Andrew Warren, the FL prosecutor DeSantis suspended,” by Florida Phoenix’s Michael Moline

CAMPAIGN MODE

Nikki Fried speaks during an interview.

Florida's then-Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried speaks during an interview on April 21, 2022, at the Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami. | Wilfredo Lee, File/AP Photo

ON THE ROAD — The Florida Democratic Party’s Take Back Florida Tour launches this morning. It’ll be stopping in 18 counties and spending $1 million to register voters.

Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried spoke with Florida Playbook ahead of the tour, as she was heading to the vice president’s speech in Orlando.

The forthcoming Orlando stops are set to feature Rep. Maxwell Frost, state Rep. Anna Eskamani and Rep. Darren Soto, she said. What follow are a few highlights from our conversation.

On how many Floridians Democrats aim to register:

Democrats are 542,000 voter registrations behind Republicans, who are also still building their rolls. Fried said the goal was to reduce the gap between the two parties by 35% by Nov. 4.

The party will be working on “gaining trust back and going to counties where Democrats have been ignored for the last cycles,” Fried said. She plans to underscore Democrats’ position that Republicans have “abandoned the traditional base of small government conservatives.”

On the issues that will resonate most with voters:

The economy is the No. 1 priority for voters, Fried said, citing inflation and the soaring cost of property insurance.

“The Republicans have lost sight of those priorities by waging these culture wars,” she said, citing book removals from schools and changes to history curriculum. The party would be focused on supporting “personal liberties,” such as abortion rights, and highlighting Republicans’ “government overreach.”

On whether Trump could help drive turnout:

“The reality is that no matter which extreme right-wing becomes the nominee our message is the same,” Fried said, accusing the party of “government overreach” and “irresponsible spending.”

“Republicans’ internal fighting shows how they are not true to their values because they are fighting amongst themselves on who can be the most extreme and radical,” she said.

On why she thinks DeSantis remains popular in Florida:

“They’re not reading your paper,” she joked, then acknowledged it was “hard to break through” but added that Democrats were committed to being “more aggressive.”

REACTION — Florida Playbook then called up Christian Ziegler, chair for the Republican Party of Florida, for a response.

He panned the Democrats’ voter registration effort saying, “no amount of money will work.” Voters were registering as Republicans after moving here from blue states and supporting policies from the governor and legislature, including on the COVID pandemic and on schools, he said.

“They can’t be taken seriously until they actually cure the real problem, their radical agenda,” Ziegler said of Democrats.

Republicans also wouldn’t be slowing down their registration efforts or take the current advantage for granted, he said. “We have it infused in our operations from the top down,” he said. The GOP will be conducting trainings, getting volunteers onboard and helping voters get set up if they need to vote by mail.

2024 DOWN BALLOT WATCH — “Challengers emerge, donors pour money into Wasserman Schultz and Frankel contests. Republicans pass on Moskowitz so far,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “More than $26,000 a day has poured into the campaigns of the six incumbents from Broward and Palm Beach counties so far this year, with some bolstering substantial war chests. Four challengers have collectively taken in more than $8,000 a day. One thing that hasn’t emerged: a challenger to U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat serving his first term representing a Broward/Palm Beach county district, even though his 2022 victory was closer than many expected and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis carried his district.”

— “Crypto executive behind mysterious $500,000 payment to PAC backing Mayor Francis Suarez,” by Miami Herald’s Sarah Blaskey

DATELINE D.C.

— “Democrat Goldman and GOP’s Donalds spar over Devon Archer coverage,” by The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky

— “Michael Waltz wants new Monroe Doctrine to address China’s incursions to Cuba, Latin America,” by Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

LIGHTS OUT — Federal power plant rules would lead to rolling blackouts, utility group says, by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: The Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to send a comment letter criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule after a representative of the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council told commissioners the measure would reduce power production by 8 percent by 2032.

— “DeSantis administration asks federal appeals court to put drag show law ruling on hold,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders

— “Florida’s provision will block aspirations to practice law among immigrants,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Juan Carlos Chavez

— “Industry group raises alarm anti-Chinese investment law could curb Florida growth,” by Florida Politics’ Anne Geggis

— “Moms for Liberty say no to mental health care in schools, but it’s Florida law,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Ana Goñi-Lessan

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

THE USUAL SUSPECTS — Former House Speaker Corcoran named a finalist for New College president,” by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: Former Florida Republican House speaker and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran could be poised to score the top job at New College of Florida for the long term. Amid a conservative rebrand called for by DeSantis, a New College search committee Tuesday named Corcoran, currently serving as the school’s interim leader, as one of three finalists for running the university as president.

DEI OUT — The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District has abolished DEI programs under an order by Glenton Gilzean, the district administrator, who called them divisive, wasteful and “illegal and simply unamerican.”

Gilzean, who is Black, said the decision came after an internal investigation into the district’s past policies on hiring and contracting, when it was still called the Reedy Creek improvement District. He accused the initiative of discrimination on the basis of gender and race by setting quotas.

— “Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson submits resignation letter,” by Gainesville Sun’s Andrew Caplan

— “CEO of HCA hospital in Florida that allegedly had roaches in the operating room leaves job,” by NBC News’ Gretchen Morgenson

— “Group of FL inmates sue vendor over loss of digital media, like songs, movies and game apps,” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry

— “911 call reveals horrific moments on the night Miami-Dade police director shot himself,” by Miami Herald’s Douglas Hanks

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— “22 ball pythons have been caught in a St. Johns neighborhood. Where are they coming from?” by First Coast News’ Taylor Levesque: “Residents of a St. Augustine neighborhood are on edge, saying they've caught 22 ball pythons roaming around their Prairie Lakes homes in July. Experts say the snakes aren't wild and are considered invasive species. ‘We have found 22 in a matter of four weeks,’ Vincent Myers said. ‘We found them out on the main road, under the hood of a car, people will drive at nighttime after the rain and they will be crossing the road.’”

BIRTHDAYS: Dean Cannon, president and chief executive officer of GrayRobinson and former Florida House Speaker ... former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman … Kevin Cate, owner of CATECOMM … Heidi Carr, professor at the University of Miami.