People who supplied many of the words for Florida's Governor in recent years are rankled by an interview agreed to by the chair of the state's Republican Party.
In the wake of Evan Power agreeing to go on Laura Loomer's program, multiple mouthpieces for Ron DeSantis are speaking out and amplifying concerns after months of slashing attacks from the conservative commentator, who ardently supports Donald Trump.
A poster to X chided Power, saying that "you're seriously going to go on a platform of a lunatic who said Casey DeSantis faked her cancer and said some of the most despicable things I've ever heard about our favorite governor Ron DeSantis?? This is not the right move for you or the Florida GOP."
"Agreed," asserted former Press Secretary Bryan Griffin, who more recently was part of the Governor's now-suspended presidential campaign.
"Disappointing," asserted former spokesperson Christina Pushaw, who most recently handled "rapid response" for the same campaign.
Some have urged Power's resignation, as reported by Florida's Voice, a call that Power rejects.
"It's a little comical. We are the party that is against cancel culture. If spreading the ways Florida is leading the way in the fight for our country is wrong, what are we even doing here," Power said, saying he refused to "let echo chambers define the good work we are doing."
We sought more context from Power, who has yet to provide answers to our questions.
Loomer offered an extended statement, meanwhile, in her usual slashing style.
"It's ironic that Ron DeSantis and his campaign staffers who are now bleeding Florida taxpayers dry as it relates to their salaries had no problem with their boss Ron DeSantis going on MSDNC and CNN to support Weaponized lawfare against President Trump, but they want to boycott the new chair of the Florida GOP from coming on my show when I am staunch conservative and want to talk to Evan about the Florida GOPs plans to endorse Trump on February 10," Loomer claimed.
"If I was Jake Tapper or Mika (Brzezinski) and Joe (Scarborough). and if I was cheering for Trump to be jailed like the rest of Team DeSantis does on a daily basis, they would have no problem with Evan coming on my show."
She went on to claim the Governor helped to sabotage her previous runs for office.
She believes the matter "boils down to the fact that Team DeSantis is anti-free speech, which was witnessed both times I ran for Congress when DeSantis allowed for big tech to get away with silencing my campaigns, and it's seen now in the way they are trying to silence a guest by bullying him into not coming on my show."
She then claimed that the effort to stop her interview of Power came from DeSantis' Office.
"I am against Weaponized government and I am pro free speech which is why I support Trump, and why I condemn the actions of Ron DeSantis's staff. If I wanted my taxpayer dollars to be used to pay for censorship and the targeting of my show from inside the Governor's office, I'd move to China where this type of state sponsored censorship is the norm," Loomer continued.
She went on to claim "that DeSantis is on an anti Trump crusade and he has now sent his taxpayer funded minions to do his dirty work. I fully condemn DeSantis and the act of weaponized government that he's sanctioning from inside his office in Tallahassee. All republicans and advocates of free speech should condemn this communist behavior."
Power recently took over the reins of the Florida GOP from disgraced former Chair Christian Ziegler, whose unorthodox sex life became national news and a fatal political liability a while back.
One of his first moves after DeSantis left the presidential race was to call for a preemptive endorsement of Trump, a mechanism DeSantis hasn't commented on.
Meanwhile, the Governor seems to be maintaining distance from the former President and former political patron he endorsed.
Asked about "our chances" in 2024, DeSantis reiterated many of the concerns that animated his speeches in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in recent months.
"Well, obviously I wouldn't have run if I didn't think my chances were the best on all of this. So I may not be the right guy, but look, these things happen and, and ultimately it's up for candidates to be able to go out there and make the case going forward," DeSantis said in Naples this week.
Prior to that, the Governor balked at a Senate bill supported by CFO Jimmy Patronis that would have routed $5 million of state funds to a legally embattled candidate for office, which most took to mean former President Trump. He threatened a veto and the bill was withdrawn.
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