Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis thought he had the perfect photo op that would bolster his campaign with less than two months left before the midterm elections.
DeSantis paid to fly 50 Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, and in doing so he may well have violated federal kidnapping and human trafficking laws.
But of particular interest to voters in the Sunshine State is just how much taxpayer money DeSantis spent for his stunt. As it turns out, his Democratic opponent, Charlie Crist, did a bit of research and found out that the cost was $12,300 per person to ship the migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, and Crist even brought the receipts, which he shared on Twitter.
DeSantis shelled out over $600,000 at a time when the state is having trouble attracting enough teachers for its schools due to low pay and bad working conditions. The money also could have been spent on health care for children, new buses to transport kids to school, and raises for the lowest paid teachers in Florida.
There’s also the legal issue of what DeSantis did, which could prove to be a huge distraction and embarrassment at he seeks a second term in office as a springboard to a presidential run in 2024.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he is urging the Justice Department to investigate and charge DeSantis with kidnapping.
Additionally, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Thursday she wants the DOJ to determine if DeSantis violated human trafficking laws or violated the migrants’ civil rights.
The Florida gubernatorial election is now a mere seven weeks away, and Ron DeSantis may have just cost himself re-election all for a stunt to get media attention. Clearly, he’s just as stupid as his former BFF, Donald Trump.
