TALLAHASSEE—A Republican Lawmaker has defamed Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a spokesperson for the state's chief legal officer claimed on Thursday.
Jeremy Redfern, the Attorney General's Communications Director, told The Floridian via text message that state Rep. Alex Andrade has made "defamatory accusations" against his boss over the past few weeks.
His comments follow Andrade, from Pensacola, calling three committee hearings to investigate officials connected to First Lady Casey DeSantis's charity, Hope Florida, which Andrade believed illegally deposited money into Uthmeier's political committee.
"A member of the Florida House of Representatives has stated to the press—repeatedly and conclusively—that Attorney General James Uthmeier committed multiple federal and state crimes," Redfern said. "These ridiculous accusations are false and not based on any judicial finding or evidentiary record."
Redfern, who accused Andrade of being in Big Weed's pocket, claimed Andrade's "baseless accusations" could present "legal ramifications."
"The Representative should bear in mind that he's a member of the Florida Bar and must adhere to professional and ethical canons. And those canons generally discourage the wild, defamatory accusations he has lobbed at the Attorney General," Redfern added.
Andrade's final committee hearing to investigate the workings of Hope Florida was hosted Thursday morning. It ended just minutes after it began, with Andrade insisting that it is now up to federal authorities to continue the Hope Florida probe.
The Tampa Bay Times first reported weeks ago that the foundation had not filed any of its tax information. In September, it also received $10 million of a $67 million settlement from the state. Weeks later, Hope Florida made two $5 million payments to two other non-profits, which promptly sent nearly $9 million to Uthmeier's political committee to defeat a pro-marijuana amendment.
When asked for a response to Redfern's claims, Andrade told The Floridian, "If he’d like to be subjected to depositions and discovery, I guess he’s welcome to open that door."
