Florida Rep. Charlie Crist (D) took a verbal swipe at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) this week, proposing that DeSantis is guilty of upholding “the big lie.” He accused the Governor of fanning the flames of conspiracy theories regarding the November election. DeSantis, who faces gubernatorial challengers in Crist and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), has been soaring in the polls regarding 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls.
In a statement, Crist, who formerly served as Governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011, commented that “three days ago, I challenged Governor DeSantis to reject the Big Lie and launch a bipartisan investigation into Florida-based hate group members and their connections to the January. 6th insurrection at our nation’s Capitol.” Adding that DeSantis “could have done the right thing to keep Floridians safe and stop violent. Hate groups from organizing in Florida,” Crist shared his disappointment, saying that DeSantis instead “has chosen partisanship and division.”
The comments come after a report informing that Florida is leading in arrests that are related on the January 6th riot that took place in the Capitol. In turn, Rep. Crist supported a bipartisan commission to investigate what led to the riot, but the measure was quickly turned down.
In a statement responding to the commission, Christina Pushaw (R), Governor DeSantis’ Press Secretary, called it “raw political opportunism” that Crist was utilizing.
The comments were directed to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Pushaw explained that “any individuals who are found guilty of committing crimes should be held responsible for their own actions,” adding that Crist’s proposal only serves “for left-wing corporate media, not for everyday Floridians.”
Pushaw also asserted that “Crist’s framing blames more than 20 million Floridians for the actions of a few, and that is simply unfair – and unserious.”
President Trump has maintained that there are discrepancies with the November election, which caused President Joe Biden (D) to emerge as the victor. This created Republican infighting as some members of the GOP joined him in raising concerns while others pushed for President Trump to be impeached for a second time.
