In a recent episode of "Meet the Press," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) was compelled to defend his stance on neo-Nazis, following criticism from Florida state Representative Randy Fine (R).
Fine, who recently endorsed Donald Trump over DeSantis, accused the governor of not doing enough to support Jews and failing to adequately denounce neo-Nazis. He also criticized DeSantis for not doing enough to build a Holocaust memorial.
NBC News anchor Kristen Welker, who hosted the show, amplified Fine's criticism, forcing DeSantis to respond. DeSantis dismissed Fine's accusations as a bid for "15 minutes of fame," and listed the pro-Jewish actions he has taken as governor. However, Welker was not satisfied and suggested that DeSantis had intentionally refrained from speaking out against the neo-Nazis.
"Your state has heard from both Marco Rubio and Rick Scott condemning those neo-Nazi protests," Welker said. "Why didn't you speak out? Why didn't you use your voice to say that you're not going to stand for that?"
DeSantis responded, "Of course we condemn that. Just look at everything that we've done in terms of our policies "
"But you didn't at the time, Governor," Welker interrupted. "You didn't at the time, according to Randy Fine. According to Randy Fine, you did not at the time "
At this point, DeSantis expressed his frustration with Welker's attempts to use Fine's criticism to tarnish his reputation. He accused Fine of trying to create a name for himself and dismissed the criticism as "nonsense."
"He's just trying to create a name for himself, so that's all nonsense. Everybody knows that's nonsense," DeSantis said.
He then told Welker, "Don't give somebody 15 minutes of fame just because they're letting you try to do a preferred narrative just to hit me. It's nonsense. Our record is second to none, and we'll continue to lead on these issues."
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