Governor Ron DeSantis blasted the AP today after their reporter tried to smear him using the same old tactics they’ve used in recent past, to accuse him of pushing a COVID treatment after he invested in their company. You know, to enrich himself.
First, here’s the backstory via The Blaze:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday sent a blistering letter to Associated Press CEO Daisy Veerasingham accusing the news outlet of publishing a “partisan smear” against him and possibly discouraging COVID-19 positive Floridians from seeking “life-saving treatment.”
Last week, AP journalist Brendan Farrington reported that Citadel, a Chicago-based hedge fund, has invested $15.9 million in Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc., the company that manufactures the monoclonal antibody treatment heavily promoted by DeSantis. Citadel CEO Ken Griffin donated $10.75 million to a political committee that supports DeSantis, and Farrington’s article implies that DeSantis is promoting Regeneron’s drug over COVID-19 vaccines to benefit his top donor.
Pushaw commented for the AP’s story, observing that Citadel holds far more shares of Pfizer and Moderna than Regeneron.
Critics were also quick to point out that DeSantis is promoting monoclonal antibody treatments right along with the Biden administration, that Griffin also donated to President Joe Biden’s inauguration committee, and that the governor has also strongly endorsed vaccination against COVID-19 as life-saving.
The AP did not accuse Biden of benefitting these very same donors by promoting the vaccine.
After the AP published the story, DeSantis’ left-wing critics falsely claimed that he had been downplaying COVID vaccines to benefit his donor.
Pushaw blasted the AP article on Twitter, calling it “cheap political innuendo” and calling out Farrington for shifting blame for the article’s headline to his “boss’ boss.” In a now-deleted tweet, she retweeted the AP story and told her followers to “drag them.”
The AP in turn reported Pushaw to Twitter, accusing her of harassing Farrington, and she was suspended for 12 hours.
Veerasingham then wrote to DeSantis asking him to stop Pushaw’s “harassing behavior,” accusing her of threatening Farrington and putting him in danger by criticizing his reporting.
DeSantis doesn’t back down from Veerasingham and rips into her hard. It’s so badass.
Read the full letter below:
