Federal prosecutors have asked the courts to dismiss an indictment against former Florida Democrat governor candidate Andrew Gillum.
Gillum lost the state’s 2018 gubernatorial race to Republican Ron DeSantis by less than 1 percentage point.
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Former President Donald Trump criticized Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Thursday in a statement posted on Truth Social, calling him an “average” governor who was “politically dead” and in “desperate shape” before Trump endorsed him in 2017.
“Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017 – he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers. Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win,” Trump said in the statement.
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Andrew Gillum’s political action committee (PAC) from his failed bid for Florida governor recently paid his Miami lawyers $440,181, according to reports filed with the Division of Elections.
Gillum was indicted in June on multiple charges connected to campaign contribution fraud before and during his 2018 run for governor of Florida. The 21 count indictment includes conspiracy charges, wire fraud and making false statements.
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The Tallahassee City Commission voted on Wednesday unanimously to adopt a 10-year lobbying ban for anyone convicted of a felony related to bribery and honest services fraud. The ordinance will be drafted by the city attorney and brought back to the city commission at a later date.
According to information revealed at the meeting, Tallahassee will be the first major city in Florida to adopt a ban on lobbying by convicted felons.
Former Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox and two others were indicted and are currently serving prison sentences for their actions.
More recently, former Tallahassee mayor and one-time Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum was indicted by the federal government.
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The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida has opted to not offer their endorsement for the 2022 Democrat gubernatorial primary. The two most likely candidates to achieve the party nomination are Congressman Charlie Crist (D-FL-13) and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D).
The caucus said that they both feel the two candidates are better options than incumbent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), but they maintained that the two Democrat candidates did not model a progressive candidate quite close enough.
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Former Tallahassee Mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been indicted on multiple charges connected to campaign contribution fraud before and during his 2018 run for governor of Florida. Gillum lost to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida unsealed the 21-count indictment on Wednesday. One of Gillum’s closest advisers, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, also was charged in the 21-count indictment. Gillum, 42, and Lettman-Hicks, 53, were arrested on Wednesday and were scheduled to have their first appearance Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Courthouse in Tallahassee.
The 26-page indictment indicates that the Gillum investigation was part of the comprehensive corruption probe that used undercover agents to get close to some of Tallahassee’s biggest movers and shakers. Former Tallahassee Mayor and City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his associate Paige Carter-Smith, along with Tallahassee businessman J.T. Burnette were recently sentenced to prison as a result of the probe.
The indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, defendants Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit wire fraud, by unlawfully soliciting and obtaining funds from various entities and individuals through false and fraudulent promises and representations that the funds would be used for a legitimate purpose.
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Since taking office as Commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture, Nikki Fried (D) has made numerous moves backing LGBT advocacy issues. One LGBT advocacy group, Equality Florida, has been a large player in Florida’s progressive politics and receiving an official endorsement can lead to major financial contributions.
Equality Florida previously endorsed then-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D) against Ron DeSantis (R) in 2018. As election day drew nearer, the Human Rights Campaign, another pro-LGBT group, bought more than half a million dollar ad buys encouraging voters to support Florida’s Democrats, including Gillum.
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Florida’s Republican Party is close to catching Florida’s Democrats in terms of voter registrations. The Democrat Party of Florida once held a 700,000-voter registration advantage, and now only holds approximately a 23,000-voter advantage.
According to POLITICO Florida, Florida’s Democrats have known about it for years, but little could be done to maintain their once large margin.
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