In typical Democratic fashion, Andrew Gillum, the man who once ran against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has now been accused of pocketing some of the cash from his campaign, as well as lying to FBI officials during his bid.
Before he became the Democratic nominee for Florida governor back in 2018, Gillum was the mayor of Tallahassee. He’s now come full circle as he’s found himself in the city’s courtroom, facing charges for dozens of crimes he’s committed during his gubernatorial run.
The Dems can’t catch a break
Gary Milligan, the Assistant US Attorney, explained that Gillum was still paying off a large mortgage at the time. He used the campaign money to support his extravagant lifestyle after he quit his six-figure job to run for office.
One of my greatest challenges yet is the court case that begins tomorrow. I am unequivocally innocent of the gross allegations being made against me.
But I can’t win this fight alone. Thank you for the prayers and words of support many of you have extended to me and my family. pic.twitter.com/fdbKQ8WaOW
— Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) April 16, 2023
There’s little regarding politics in this case, as what Gillum did is nothing short of outright deceiving his donors and stealing money from his own gubernatorial campaign.
In fact, there’s little evidence he didn’t start the campaign solely to use it as a means of funding his lifestyle, which became endangered once he abandoned his post as mayor of Tallahassee.
The corrupt behavior seems to have started when Gillum first reached out to Mike Miller, an undercover FBI agent at the time. He was pretending to be a developer scouting projects for the state’s campaign donations.
A lucky break in the FBI’s case ruins Gillum’s career
Miller would then make several donations of his own to Gillum’s campaign. These were then funneled through P&P Communications, a public agency owned by one of the candidate’s supporters and close friends.
Andrew Gillum begs for money in the middle of his trial for bribery, and lying to the FBI. https://t.co/sAcvLZyRqP
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 20, 2023
Milligan explained that Gillum himself had done no actual work for the agency. He used his brother, Marcus Gillum, to arrange the contributions to his campaign, or better said, his own wealth.
The defense did little to dispute Gillum’s involvement in the shady donations, arguing only his position at P&P Communications was legitimate and his brother’s involvement with the campaign doesn’t imply Gillum is guilty of anything.
Margot Moss, Gillum’s defense attorney, then went on a lengthy explanation about how Marcus solicited donations for his brother’s campaign of his own accord to impress his brother.
WATCH: Democrat Candidate for Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is CRASHING in polls due to her lack of support for law enforcement and questionable friendship with Andrew Gillum (@BrendonLeslie)
pic.twitter.com/I8XFtctC31— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) April 18, 2023
However, it’s not all about the money he’d stolen from the campaign. Gillum also lied to an FBI agent during his bid against DeSantis, yet another point that was denied by Gillum’s defense team.
This article appeared in The Record Daily and has been published here with permission.
