MIAMI.- In an action that some already see as political retaliation, the governor of FloridaRon DeSantisannounced the veto of a legislative proposal that sought to allocate, if necessary, up to $5 million from the state budget to help pay for former President Donald Trump’s legal expenses.
The announcement of the intention to veto occurred a day after DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign and expressed his support for Trump in the electoral race.
Trump faces several lawsuits in different states, related to the 2020 elections, access to government information and his personal affairs.
The veto was disclosed by DeSantis on social networks. The governor shared on X old Twitter a link to a Politico article titled “Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to foot Trump’s legal bills,” and added the comment: “But not the Florida Republican who has the veto pen.“.
Proposal in Florida
The bill, introduced by Senator Ileana Garcia, sought to create a fund called “Grants for Victims of Political Discrimination,” which would provide financial assistance to Florida residents running for president of the United States and who “face legal, partisan and political attacks by the Department of Justice or state prosecutors.”
Senator Garcia said that His intention was to support candidates who suffer from a “politicization” of justice.
However, DeSantis rejected the idea of using public funds to cover the legal costs of Trump, who has 91 pending charges, but to date nothing has been proven that affects his presidential aspirations.
Garcia withdrew his proposal shortly after, FloridaPolitics.com reported. The legislator originally from Miami said in a statement that Having Trump in the White House again would be a benefit for Floridawhere a Trump resort is located.
“And anything we can do to support Florida presidential candidates, like President Trump, will only benefit our state and our nation,” he said.
DeSantis had come in second place in the Iowa caucuses, behind Trump, and polls indicated that he would come in third place in the New Hampshire primary, far from Trump and former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley.
In announcing his support for Trump, DeSantis wrote: “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.. “He has my support because we cannot go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a recycled form of lukewarm corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”
Trump thanked DeSantis but told Fox News that “it was very unlikely” the governor would have a role in a second Trump administration. “I have a lot of great people, and I have great people who have been with me from the beginning,” Trump said Sunday.
