In a surprising turn of events, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has threatened to veto a proposed bill that would have provided former President Donald Trump with up to $5 million in taxpayer funding to aid his ongoing legal battles.
This comes after DeSantis endorsed Trump for President on Sunday.
The bill, which was discussed by some Republican lawmakers in Florida, was reported by Politico. The proposed legislation was intended to assist Trump in his fight against a series of legal challenges initiated by Democrat prosecutors across the country.
Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia, a Republican from Miami, had filed the bill for the 2024 legislative session. The bill also received the endorsement of Republican Jimmy Patronis, Floridas chief financial officer. However, the bill was withdrawn on Monday night following DeSantis's veto threat.
Governor DeSantis made his position clear on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Sharing Politicos article titled Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trumps legal bills, DeSantis wrote, But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen
In response to DeSantis's veto threat, Senator Garcia announced the withdrawal of the bill on Monday night. My concern was the political weaponization against conservative candidates, Garcia stated on X. She further explained that the bill was filed at a time when all candidates were committed to campaigning through the primary. However, with one frontrunner remaining, she believes he can handle himself.
This development comes just a day after DeSantis announced the suspension of his 2024 presidential campaign and endorsed Trumps campaign for president. Its clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance, DeSantis said in a video message on Sunday.
Despite endorsing his former GOP presidential primary rival, DeSantis acknowledged that he had prior disagreements with Trump, particularly on the Coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci. However, DeSantis concluded, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear.
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