Tag: Ron DeSantis

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Immigration Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis May Be Charged With Kidnapping For Shipping Migrants To Other States

In his effort to make a political statement and draw attention to himself in his bid for re-election, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) decided he’d put some migrants on a plane and send them to Martha’s Vineyard.

CNN reports on the move by DeSantis:

It’s the latest in a series of moves by Republican governors to transport migrants to northern liberal enclaves to protest what they say are inadequate federal efforts on southern border security. Located off the coast of Massachusetts and long known as a posh summer destination for wealthy vacationers, Martha’s Vineyard provided an unusual and unexpected place for the migrants to be sent.

DeSantis defended his action:

“We are not a sanctuary state, and it’s better to be able to go to a sanctuary jurisdiction, and yes, we will help facilitate that transport for you to be able to go to greener pastures. Every community in America should be sharing in the burdens. It shouldn’t all fall on a handful of red states.”

But while the Florida governor may have gotten himself a day’s worth of free media coverage, he may also be guilty of kidnapping, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is urging the Justice Department to charge DeSantis with the crime.

In a letter he sent to the DOJ on Thursday, Newsom writes:

“Like millions of Americans, I have been horrified at the images of migrants being shipped on buses and planes across the country to be used as political props. Clearly, transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal.

“Several of the individuals who were transported to Martha’s Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations that they would be transported to Boston and would receive expedited access to work authorization. The interstate travel at issue provides a basis for federal jurisdiction over this matter.”

And then Newsom cites the specific provision of federal law he believes DeSantis is in violation of:

“I strongly urge the U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ) to open an investigation into possible criminal or civil violations of federal law based on this alleged fraudulent scheme. In particular, I urge US DOJ to investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws, which could serve as a predicate offense for charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) provisions of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970.”

 

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GOP Ron DeSantis Social Media WTF?!

‘Top Gun’ Ad From Ron DeSantis Goes Viral, But Not In The Way He Intended

It probably sounded like such a good idea when it was pitched: We’ll dress Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis up in fighter pilot gear, put him into a fighter jet, and call it “Top Gov.” Genius! Can’t fail!

Oh, but it has, and the fallout is making DeSantis look even more pathetic than he already was.

HuffPost reports:

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, this is your governor speaking. Today’s training evolution — dogfighting, taking on the corporate media,” DeSantis said while wearing a Tom Cruise-style leather jacket.

He then discusses how people should deal with those dreaded journalists who keep asking questions he doesn’t want to answer.

“The rules of engagement are as follows. No. 1: Don’t fire unless fired upon, but when they fire, you fire back with overwhelming force. … No. 2: Never, ever back down from a fight. … No. 3: Don’t accept their narrative.”

Throughout, the ad features clips of him refusing to answer media questions ― as though this were a positive thing.

The video has gone viral, but probably not in the way that DeSantis intended, because reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly negative, resulting in lots of mockery aimed directly at the Sunshine State governor.

https://twitter.com/ilyseh/status/1562080221309927424?s=20&t=idWdvHn4012ynpyt1KPfcQ
https://twitter.com/jimstinson/status/1561876888200613889?s=20&t=WVy4S8ZJTW4e79xJhgdReg

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GOP Ron DeSantis

DeSantis Allegedly Attended Party With Underage Girls And Alcohol While Teaching At High School

Shortly after he graduated from college and prior to attending law school, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a job as a history teacher at the Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. His hiring was announced in a 2001 newsletter published by the school:

Ron DeSantis is joining the Upper School history department. DeSantis earned bachelor’s degrees in history and political science from Yale University, New Haven, Conn. While at Yale, he worked for the political science department, the athletic department, and the university sports camp. He has work experience with the Sonic Corporation and the office of Senator Connie Mack.

But it turns out that DeSantis was more than just a teacher while at Darlington, according to Hill Reporter:

His students would have been high school co-eds, teenagers, some of whom would have been living on-campus. According to our whistleblower, he had a reputation among students for being a young “hot teacher” who girls loved, and the girls in the photo are believed to have graduated in 2002, making them seniors at the time.

The photo shows a person purported to be DeSantis, in a group embrace with several young girls, one of whom is holding what appears to be a glass beer bottle. The source who provided the photo says that it was taken prior to graduation — meaning the young girls would still have been DeSantis’ responsibility at the time. It is not clear whether any of them were legal adults, though they would have been too young to purchase alcohol.

Of course, DeSantis isn’t the only Florida politician who seems to have an affinity for young girls. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is current the subject of a wide-ranging federal investigation that reportedly involves the congressman taking underage girls across state lines and paying them, which is sexual trafficking of a minor. And that investigation could also wind up ensnaring the governor, who is up for reelection next year:

Still, the investigation may be moving uncomfortably close to the governor’s office. Besides Gaetz himself, the influential Florida political figures under federal scrutiny include Jason Pirozzolo, a hand surgeon and DeSantis campaign donor, and DeSantis’ political appointee Halsey Beshears, the state’s former top business regulator.

DeSantis has yet to respond to the photo or other revelations from Hill Reporter.

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Coronavirus GOP

Stephen King: Ron DeSantis Is Evil Enough To Be A Villain In My Novels – But He’s Too Stupid

Novelist Stephen King has created some incredibly memorable villains in his books, but he doesn’t think Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has what it takes to be among them.

As King explained during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the novelist was asked about some of the tweets he’s sent out recently that were highly critical of DeSantis, and he made it clear that while the governor is certainly evil enough with his absurd COVID-19 policies, he doubts that the Floridian has enough brains to carry off any actual evil plans:

“Ron DeSantis is probably not the brightest bulb in the chandelier at the best of times.”

That led Colbert to ask:

“So, not an evil genius? Not a mastermind?”

King responded:

“No, I wouldn’t say so. You know, he’s got that deer-in-the-headlights look somehow.”

Colbert couldn’t resist adding:

“Deer in the headlights hoping that’s two motorcycles that are going to go right by him.”

It should be noted that King — who is a native of Maine — now spends half the year in Sarasota, so he’s had a chance to observe DeSantis up close, and he’s not impressed, firing off tweets making it clear that he thinks the Florida governor is a few cans short of a six pack:

Or, to put it another way, consider what the AV Club had to say about DeSantis not being fit for a King novel. They pretty much hit the proverbial nail on the head:

“So that’s evil, but is it Stephen King evil? Not according to King, who greeted Colbert’s pitch for a future fictional Florida governor villain with the dismissive shrug of a guy who knows what makes a truly compelling antagonist. After all, your best Stephen King monsters (your Greg Stillsons, your Randall Flaggs) couple their nefarious machinations with a complexity of thought and more than a little charisma, whereas, in King’s authorial estimation, Florida is currently being led by a garden variety venal, callous dope, whose threadbare conservative posturing couldn’t sustain even the shortest tale of terror.”

But if you want to think of something truly terrifying, just imagine Ron DeSantis as president. Now THAT’S enough to give you nightmares.

 

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Coronavirus GOP

Jen Psaki Has The Perfect Comeback After Ron DeSantis Calls Biden A ‘Power-Hungry Tyrant’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wants to be president so damn badly! How badly? Enough so that he’s willing to let thousands of Floridians die of COVID-19 while he pretends that everything is just fine in the Sunshine State. He insists mask mandates won’t be allowed on his watch, no matter how many children and senior citizens wind up on ventilators and die in complete isolation, unable to see their families as they take their last, labored breath.

So it should come as no surprise that DeSantis would snipe at the current resident of the White House, President Joe Biden, simply because Biden made this remark on Wednesday while discussing the rise in COVID cases being seen in the states of Florida and Texas:

“I say to these governors: Please help. But if you aren’t going to help, at least get out of the way. The people are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives.”

Biden is trying to save lives, even in Republican-controlled states, because he’s doing what he promised he’d do when he was running in 2020: Be a president for all Americans.

How did DeSantis react to Biden’s remarks? Like a spoiled child. Like a man who cannot accept constructive criticism. We’ve had a president like that, and his name was Donald Trump. He’s one of the main reasons we’re in the fix we see before us right now as it pertains to the coronavirus.

DeSantis told reporters this while he was visiting Panama City and was asked about what the president had said:

“Why don’t you do your job. Why don’t you get this border secured, and until you do that I don’t want to hear a blip about Covid from you.”

Shortly after DeSantis made that snippy soundbite, he was also using it to try and raise money for his reelection efforts in 2022, sending out a blast email in which he pretended to be a tough guy:

“Joe Biden has the nerve to tell me to get out of the way on COVID while he lets COVID-infected migrants pour over our southern border by the hundreds of thousands. No elected official is doing more to enable the transmission of COVID in America than Joe Biden with his open borders policies.”

The governor wants us to believe the reason COVID is spreading is because of immigrants coming into the United States, though he has never presented a scintilla of evidence to support his allegation. He’s bullshitting. He’s lying. He’s using hatred and fear of “the other” to try and cover up his own heartlessness and incompetence.

Or, to put it another way, Ron DeSantis is pulling a Trump.

But White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had the perfect response to Gov. DeSantis, telling reporters at Thursday’s daily press briefing:

“25% of hospitalizations in the country are in Florida.

“It is also a fact that the governor has taken steps that are counter to public health recommendations. So, we’re here to state the facts. Frankly, our view is that this is too serious, deadly serious to be doing partisan name calling. That’s what we’re not doing here, we’re focused on providing public health data information to the people of Florida, to make sure they understand what steps they should be taking, even if those are not steps taken at the top of the leadership in that state.”

That’s how you deal with an empty suit, wannabe tough guy like Ron DeSantis. The governor should be ashamed of himself. But to feel shame, you have to possess a conscience. Clearly, DeSantis has no conscience. Just hubris, bluster, and bile.