The not-so-secret relationship between members of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' Executive Office (EOG) and controversial gubernatorial candidate James Fishback has been confirmed by Christina Pushaw, the apparent mastermind behind the plot to undermine Rep. Byron Donalds' 2026 gubernatorial aspirations.
What has come to light is nothing less than a complete shit show or dumpster fire for the DeSantis administration, as members of his direct staff and political team may have been involved in the creation of Florida's Frankenstein's monster in the 2026 gubernatorial sweepstakes, James Fishback.
In basic terms, one of Governor DeSantis' most-trusted taxpayer-funded employees and advisors appears to have inadvertently undermined the governor by propping up a candidate who is attacking his judgment, not to mention having compromised the integrity of the office.
We need to point out that Matt Dixon's reporting for NBC was accurate.
The controlled burn to hurt Rep. Donalds turned into a complete and uncontrollable political wildfire, as Fishback has now moved his sights onto gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Governor Jay Collins and his family.
"Ron hates Byron so much that he was willing to look the other way. He is just as complicit as they are," said a close friend and confidant of Gov. DeSantis, who spoke to us on January 14 in Tallahassee on the condition of anonymity.
Pushaw was Gov. DeSantis' online go-to person, even though she landed herself in hot water over the years for her.
Remember when former President Richard Nixon famously stated, " Get me Roger Stone!" Well, Pushaw is no Roger Stone.
Pushaw has now divulged what many of us in the political process already knew.
Ms. Frankenstein was advising Fishback.
In an online posting to do preemptive damage control, Pushaw bared her soul about her relationship with Fishback.
Pushaw adamantly asserts that Gov. DeSantis was not aware of what she was doing with Fishback. Still, many people within DeSantis' world believe that the governor was involved, whether directly or indirectly.
In an apparent attempt to soften the expected crash landing of her involvement in the Fishback fiasco, Pushaw has been calling around this past weekend, warning of the Fishback firestorm that is now unfolding.
Apparently, Pushaw did not act alone. A source with knowledge of what she was doing told The Floridian that Pushaw confirmed to her that she was not working for Fishback but was helping his campaign along. Pushaw apparently alleged that Taryn Fenske was also involved in helping create Frankenstein's monster. Fishback denies Fenske was involved.
The source also states that a few others in the EOG may have been indirectly involved, despite both Pushaw and Fenske previously denying the allegation that they were assisting Fishback.
Fishback allegedly approached them, said the source, and Pushaw embraced him as an apparent legitimate candidate, only to later find out that he was "fraudulent."
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman," said former President Bill Clinton. Pushaw did not work for Fishback; she only helped him.
Pushaw admits to helping Fishback. Fishback responded by acknowledging that Pushaw had indeed played a significant role in framing his campaign and message. Pushaw also stated that Fishback was spreading a false rumor that they had a sexual relationship.
Fishback refuted her claim, stating, "I did not. That’s disgusting," in a response to The Floridian's request for comment on the matter.
Here is a recent text from Pushaw to a friend when times appeared rosier.
Once Pushaw appeared to see what was coming, her preemptive strike on Sunday night followed texts we received days before the excrement hit the political fan.
The DeSantis staffer referred to Fishback as a liar, having a "disordered personality" and someone who was partaking in "fraudulent antics." Pushaw also states that she pushed back against his "extreme" rhetoric.
Fishback's 'Extreme' Rhetoric
Even as Fishback continued to use apparent 'extreme" and offensive rhetoric to attack Rep. Donalds, referring to him as "By'rone," it appeared that Pushaw was still supporting him. Again, Pushaw admits to helping him, and Fishback himself acknowledged the extent of her involvement in his campaign.
"For the last two months, Christina served as an informal advisor to my campaign. We spoke several times a week, compared strategy, and she even traveled to my campaign events," stated Fishback on "X."
Pushaw did acknowledge that she believed his choice of words to disseminate his campaign message was nothing less than "extreme."
"I disagreed with his campaign rhetoric increasingly over time as it became more extreme," stated Pushaw.
Support for Antisemitism?
While some will call Fishback antisemitic for his criticism of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him "a criminal" and "a depraved little man," and for his apparent support for cutting funding to Israel, his recent support for individuals accused of being antisemites could fuel those antisemitic flames.
Fishback made those remarks on The Tucker Carlson Show.
Laura Loomer, whom Pushaw once appeared to infer was crazy, is now pointing out that Fishback called online "influencers" Clavicular and Sneako "very smart guys" after appearing on their podcast.
Now who looks crazy?
Both Clavicular and Sneako were recently on Miami Beach with Nick Fuentes, Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate, and Amrou Fudl, arriving at a nightclub singing along to rapper Kanye West's "Heil Hitler" song.
"Do you still think @sneako and his friend are “very smart Guys” after Sneako threw up Nazi salutes and screamed Heil Hitler in a Muslim owned Miami night club last night? How about encouraging young men to use meth to get cheek bones like Hitler? You are never going to be Governor of Florida enabling that type of disgusting behavior. It’s beneath the office of the Governor. I don’t know why you want to enable degenerate behavior and promote people who are telling young men to do drugs and hate Jewish people," stated Loomer.
FAFO
Christina Pushaw's rise to fame in Florida politics has now been overshadowed by her self-inflicted career-ending nosedive into the dumpster fire she created. To her credit, Pushaw has apologized to the Collins Family, Rep. Donalds, and Gov. DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis.
Pushaw's fall from the perch in DeSantis world was expected, and she is expected to resign or get fired on Monday morning.
