Donald Trump at podium – Courtesy: Shutterstock by Matt Smith
A $5 million fund would be established under a Florida law supported by the state’s chief financial officer to assist in covering the rising legal costs of former President Donald Trump.
Republican state senator Ileana Garcia has proposed to establish the “Freedom Fighters Fund,” which would give money to Florida candidates for president who are facing legal action. Trump resides at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and is running for reelection.
The plan, which still needs to pass through several committees, highlights Republicans’ greater loyalty to Trump as the party’s leader. It occurred one day after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis embraced the former president and called off his dismal White House campaign.
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In an email endorsing the bill, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis stated, “If we can help and support a Florida candidate for the White House, that’s just good from a dollars and cents perspective.”
As Florida’s CFO since 2017, Patronis, a former lawmaker, has spearheaded some of the state’s most significant attacks on the financial industry. One such attack involved denying BlackRock Inc. access to certain state funds due to the company’s endorsement of investments that take corporate governance, social media, and environmental policies into account. Less than an hour after DeSantis withdrew, he endorsed Trump.
With 91 felony accusations filed against him in four different cases, Trump is facing an unparalleled legal assault. They include planning to deceive the US in an attempt to reverse his defeat in the 2020 election and fabricating financial documents to conceal hush money given to an adult film actress.
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According to Patronis, the state’s public campaign-matching funds program would provide the $5 million for the new fund, which would then be refilled by donations made voluntarily through driver’s license registrations.
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Melissa’s career in writing started more than 20 years ago. Today, she lives in South Florida with her husband and two boys.
