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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Former Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate and CNN commentator Andrew Gillum was found inebriated at a suspected crystal meth incident at a Miami Beach hotel early Friday morning, according to a police report.
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by Molly Prince The Florida Ethics Commission found probable cause Friday that defeated Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum violated state ethics laws. Tallahassee businessman Erwin Jackson filed complaints against Gillum, who was the mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 until November 2018. The commission found probable cause on five of the six counts, reported The Tampa Bay Times. In the complaints, Jackson alleged that Gillum, in his capacity as mayor, accepted gifts from lobbyists on multiple occasions. The first occasion was a trip to Costa Rica and the second was a trip to New York, according to WCTV. Both involved Gillum’s longtime friend and former campaign manager, Adam Corey, who is the focus of an extensive FBI investigation. Records were released in October showing that an undercover FBI agent gave him tickets to a Broadway show, undermining his claims that he received the gift from his brother. Barry Richard, Gillum’s attorney, revealed that the state’s ethics commission found probable cause that Gillum accepted gifts above the $100 threshold. He added that probable cause has not been determined for the solicitation of gifts. But he doesn’t make it clear if it determined that there was no probable cause or if…
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by Molly Prince Former President Barack Obama has been reportedly upsetting his two-time running-mate Joe Biden as he meets with other potential Democratic presidential candidates. Obama has been sitting down with prospective Democrats over the past few months as the party searches for a strong challenger to emerge to face President Donald Trump in 2020. He met with Biden as early on as June to discuss his presidential ambitions, reported Politico. In addition to his former vice president, Obama has had one-on-one meetings with a host of other possible contenders including Democrats Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, and defeated Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. He also notably met with Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke shortly after his defeat to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz — only a week later, O’Rourke publicly revealed he was considering a presidential run despite consistently claiming he definitely will not be running for president. Biden has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but he reignited speculation in December when he referred to himself as the “most qualified person” to take on Trump. “I’ll be as straight with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president,” Biden said. “The issues that…
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by Molly Prince Defeated Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum sat down with former President Barack Obama on Tuesday, launching speculation that he may be another Democrat added to the already long list of those considering a 2020 presidential run. Gillum met with the former president while he was in Washington, D.C., to address the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, according to CNN. While speaking at the event, he dodged answering questions regarding his presidential aspirations. “I’m plan on being married to my wife. That is all I’m planning,” Gillum said. “What I am committed to doing between now and 2020 is doing everything I can to make the state of Florida available and winnable for the Democratic nominee for president.” Prior to his ultimate defeat, Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, faced backlash on a variety of fronts, including his anti-police stances and ties to anti-Israel and anti-Zionist organizations. Gillum‘s campaign had been fraught with scandals from the onset. Tallahassee City Hall has been under FBI investigation since as early as 2015 as part of an ongoing corruption probe. Records were released in October showing that an undercover FBI agent gave him tickets to a Broadway show, undermining his claims that he received the gift from…
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by Dr. Carol M. Swain From the Democrats, we get “Every vote should be counted.” Hidden in these words is an effort to legitimize votes cast by non-citizens and others who might not have had legal standing to vote on November 6. That was in the wake of the state of Florida’s passage of legislation to allow convicted felons who have paid their debts to society to vote. The cry from Republicans is quite different. Republicans believe Democrats are bent on stealing elections using any means necessary. Democrats have established a pattern of seeking the relaxation of voter-identification requirements. They argue that requests for state-issued identification discriminates against black voters, when a lax system makes it easier for non-citizens and convicted felons to vote. Nationally, we have not done enough to protect the integrity of the electoral system. Only 34 of the 50 states require voter identification at the polls. Other states accept easily accessible documents such as utility bills, paychecks, and bank statements. Things have begun to change, though. Since 2005, there has been a greater push to require photo identification. Efforts to require photo identification have been met by pushback from those who argue requiring such documents…
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by Molly Prince Former Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis defeated Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum on Saturday after an incredibly heated Florida gubernatorial race that remained contested for longer than a week after polls closed. Gillum ended the race via a message on Facebook, congratulating DeSantis for winning the governorship and giving a final concession. However, the results of the race will likely not be certified by the state until Tuesday. “My wife R. Jai and I wanted to take a moment to congratulate Mr. DeSantis on becoming the next governor of the great state of Florida,” Gillum said. “This has been the journey of our lives.” Gillum’s announcement follows an automatic recount that ended Thursday and showed him gaining just one net vote in the process, making the margin against DeSantis officially 33,683 votes, or 0.41 percentage points. DeSantis initially declared victory after Gillum conceded on the evening of Election Day. Gillum, however, withdrew his concession on Nov. 10 after the voting margin narrowed in the Democrats’ favor as absentee and provisional ballots were tallied. DeSantis has represented Florida’s 6th Congressional District since 2013 and was a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. He has also been a frequent…
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by Molly Prince Two counties in Florida did not submit the results of the election recount in the required time frame, which would have otherwise increased the Republican candidates’ leads over their Democrat challengers. Both Broward and Hillsborough Counties failed to meet Thursday’s deadline to submit the tallies from the machine recounts and instead ended up submitting the unofficial vote count reported on Saturday, according to The Tampa Bay Times. The recount would have ultimately increased the margin for both Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Rep. Ron DeSantis’s races by a couple hundred votes. The reasoning for the untimely tally in Broward County is unknown, however, Hillsborough County purposefully missed the deadline since the recount yielded fewer total votes than those recorded on Election Day. “The fact that the percentages between the candidates remains the same gives us full confidence in our voting process and systems. Even though we achieved 99.84 percent success in our recount effort, we are not willing to accept that votes go unreported,” said Craig Latimer, the Hillsborough County Supervisor. “For that reason, the Canvassing Board has decided that the first unofficial results will stand as our second unofficial.” Broward, on the other hand, missed the…
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by Chris White Florida’s secretary of state announced Saturday afternoon that the races for governor and senator would will be reviewed through a recount as Republicans allege officials tinkered with the results. Republican Gov. Rick Scott leads incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson by more than 12,500 votes. Former Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis leads his opponent, Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, by nearly 34,000 votes in the Senate race. The paper-thin margin prompted the recount. Votes will now be recounted by machine after both races fell under the .5 percent margin. Races within .25 percent will then go to a hand recount. Scott’s campaign is calling on the Nelson to accept the official tally. “It’s time for Senator Nelson to accept reality and spare the state of the Florida the time, expense and discord of a recount,” the Florida Republican’s spokesman Chris Hartline said in a press statement following the news. Nelson shows no signs of giving up, telling reporters in a statement: “We have every expectation the recount will be full and fair and will continue taking action to ensure every vote is counted without interference or efforts to undermine the democratic process.” Scott initially won the open seat,…
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by Luke Rosiak Lawyers for Florida Democratic candidates Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson both fought to prevent a non-citizen’s vote from being excluded Friday night, according to a transcript of a Palm Beach County Canvassing Board proceeding obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Michael Barnett, chairman of the Palm Beach Republican Party, told TheDCNF that the county’s canvassing board was going through provisional ballots and quickly deciding whether to allow or disallow each. This exchange is of the first non-citizen’s vote they encountered. “We had a court reporter that we hired to sit in the proceedings, which are public,” he said. The vote was disallowed despite the objections of the lawyers because two of the three members of the canvassing board ruled that it was an impermissible vote, he said. Marc Elias, a lawyer for Nelson, told TheDCNF: “The lawyer who was present was not someone we had authorized to make such an objection. Non-citizens cannot vote in U.S. elections.” He did not explain how the lawyer, Mr. Scarola, came to be representing Nelson’s interests in Palm Beach. Barry Richard, a lawyer for Gillum, did not immediately return a request for comment. The provisional ballots are being counted as…
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by Chuck Ross Andrew Gillum may retract his concession in the Florida governor’s race. Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, conceded the race in a speech on Tuesday, after polls showed him down one percentage point to Republican Ron DeSantis, a former congressman who is close to President Trump. But DeSantis’ vote margin dwindled on Wednesday as absentee and provisional ballots continued to be counted. “On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time, it has become clear there are many more uncounted ballots than was originally reported,” Gillum campaign spokeswoman Johanna Cervona said in a statement. “Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount. Mayor Gillum started his campaign for the people, and we are committed to ensuring every single vote in Florida is counted.” Gillum trailed DeSantis by 43,000 votes on Thursday. According to the Orlando Sentinel, that is just 0.02 percentage points from the threshold that will trigger a machine recount. Florida’s Senate battle is even closer than the gubernatorial race. Gov. Rick Scott, a…
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by Joe Simonson Despite Democrats winning more than enough seats needed to take back the House of Representatives, nearly every candidate running on the far left of who garnered some of the most media attention lost their races Tuesday night. Starting in Florida, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was narrowly defeated by the solid right-winger Ron DeSantis for governor. Gillum, who ran on expanding Medicaid and raising taxes, faced accusations of being a “socialist” whose heated campaign drew comparisons to the likes of former President Barack Obama. [ RELATED: Andrew Gillum Concedes In Florida Gubernatorial Race ] Stacey Abrams, who received help from high-profile celebrities like Oprah, seems like she could fail to wrestle away the Georgia governor’s mansion from Republicans. Similarly to the race in Florida, Georgia Republicans wrestled with accusations of racism in a fight that received an inordinate amount of media attention. President Donald Trump called Abrams “one of the most extreme, far-left politicians in the country.” Yet, perhaps no candidate received more attention than Beto O’Rourke, who once said he had no problem impeaching the president and once called for the legalization of all narcotics. But the high-profile coverage and tens of millions of dollars in out-of-state…
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by Molly Prince Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum used his official expense account from the Tallahassee mayor’s office to pay for a trip to meet with donors for his gubernatorial campaign, according to a report released by Politico. Gillum visited with high-profile Democratic politicians, strategists and donors during a trip in February 2016, a year before he filed to run for governor. In 2017, the Tallahassee Democrat reported on the event and its source of funding, yet, explained the outing as a trip to discuss official business with an affordable-housing developer. A spokesman for Gillum noted that while he was on the trip he found time to “meet with local political leaders.” However, newly uncovered documents provided by the attorney for Gillum’s former lobbyist and close friend Adam Corey, show that the purpose of the taxpayer-funded trip was specifically for Gillum to meet with potential donors to his forthcoming gubernatorial campaign. The Tallahassee mayor’s office account can only be used to fund official business related to the office. The documents were subpoenaed by the Florida Commission on Ethics amid an investigation and a highly publicized FBI corruption probe into the Tallahassee City Hall. While Gillum is not currently under federal investigation, he…
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by Molly Prince Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum used his official expense account from the Tallahassee mayor’s office to pay for a trip to meet with donors for his gubernatorial campaign, according to a report released by Politico. Gillum visited with high-profile Democratic politicians, strategists and donors during a trip in February 2016, a year before he filed to run for governor. In 2017, the Tallahassee Democrat reported on the event and its source of funding, yet, explained the outing as a trip to discuss official business with an affordable-housing developer. A spokesman for Gillum noted that while he was on the trip he found time to “meet with local political leaders.” However, newly uncovered documents provided by the attorney for Gillum’s former lobbyist and close friend Adam Corey, show that the purpose of the taxpayer-funded trip was specifically for Gillum to meet with potential donors to his forthcoming gubernatorial campaign. The Tallahassee mayor’s office account can only be used to fund official business related to the office. The documents were subpoenaed by the Florida Commission on Ethics amid an investigation and a highly publicized FBI corruption probe into the Tallahassee City Hall. While Gillum is not currently under federal investigation, he…
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by Chuck Ross President Donald Trump called Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum a thief Monday, an apparent nod at a corruption investigation that threatens to embroil the Tallahassee mayor. “In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!” Trump wrote on Twitter. In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018 Gillum, a Democrat, has not been convicted or even accused of a crime, including theft. But he has come under scrutiny over gifts he allegedly received in 2016 from an undercover FBI agent posing as a lobbyist seeking business with the city of Tallahassee. It was reported on Oct. 23 that in…
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by CHQ Staff The Far-Left Democratic Party – you know the party that removed any mention of God from its platform and booed and jeered when a pro-forma mention of the Creator was added – has found a new cloak for its anti-religious liberty policies; newly re-energized Leftist Christians. Vietnam-era Leftist Christian leaders, such as Yale University chaplain, William Sloane Coffin Jr., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Father Daniel Joseph Berrigan SJ, Philip Berrigan, a former Josephite priest, Br. David Darst, a De La Salle Christian Brother, Thomas Melville, a former Maryknoll priest, Tom Cornell, a leader among the Catholic Worker movement, Reverend Richard Neuhaus, John B. Sheerin, the editor of Catholic World and prominent Catholic layman Michael Novak inspired a generation of Leftist Christian seminarians and activists. This Soviet-funded Christian Left, that led the nuclear disarmament movement and the opposition to the Vietnam War and Ronald Reagan’s defense build-up, never really went away, they simply faded from the front page when their ties to Moscow were revealed and their ideology was discredited by Reagan’s victory over the Soviet Union. Now they are back, leading the sanctuary city and open borders movements with funding from anti-Christian billionaire and Nazi…
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