A threat from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis helped nix a Republican proposal to use taxpayer dollars to pay for former President Donald Trump’s legal bills Monday.
DeSantis responded disapprovingly on social media to a report that some Republicans in his state supported a bill to use taxpayer money to pay for Trump’s expenses racked up in court.
Politico posted a headline on Twitter, stating, “Some Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trump’s legal bills.”
“But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen…,” DeSantis wrote in response, referring to his role as the state’s governor.
But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen… https://t.co/kkc2yyqVK0
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 23, 2024
Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia withdrew the bill within 90 minutes of DeSantis’ tweet Monday night, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. The legislation would have allocated $5 million in Florida taxpayer dollars to help pay for the former president’s legal expenses. Garcia’s bill was titled “Grants for Victims of Political Discrimination.”
“My concern was the political weaponization against conservative candidates,” Garcia wrote, “and while Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis brought me this bill at a time when all candidates were committing to campaign through the primary, one frontrunner now remains, and he can handle himself.”
Trump has been indicted four times in both federal and state cases, accumulating 91 criminal charges. The GOP frontrunner has made various court appearances amid his reelection campaign, repeatedly arguing that his prosecution is a “political witch hunt.” (RELATED: Court Orders Donald Trump To Pay Nearly $40,000 To New York Times)
Patronis pitched the abandoned bill to lawmakers in November 2023, the outlet reported. The Florida CFO argued in favor of a Florida Freedom Fighters Fund, characterizing Trump’s indictments as a product of a politicized justice system.
“The Left is really good at weaponizing the courts, and because President Biden is so unpopular, they’re not just trying to beat Trump at the ballot box, they’re trying to throw him behind bars, which is outrageous,” Patronis said in a news release. “We need this Freedom Fighters Fund because as the Free State of Florida, we’re facing an onslaught of attacks from the federal government against the Sunshine State.”
DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign Sunday and endorsed Trump to be the GOP nominee in 2024.