Arrested Giuliani associate wanted spot on DeSantis transition team
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he met with two associates of Rudy Giuliani recently arrested on campaign finance fraud charges since he became governor.
One of the men — he didn’t say which — wanted to be on a governor’s transition committee for public safety but that request was denied, DeSantis said.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday,
DeSantis said he didn’t want to explain or clarify his relationship with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who donated to several GOP campaigns, including $50,000 to DeSantis’ political committee last year. DeSantis ordered the committee to give the money to the U.S. Treasury after they were arrested.
“I really don’t have anything else to add,” the Republican governor said when asked if he had met with Parnas or Fruman since he was sworn in as governor in January. “… I’m probably not going to add anything else except to say that this individual had no involvement in any policy or anything involving the administration.”
After the pair were arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in New York with using front companies to funnel foreign money to campaigns in violation of U.S. law, pictures and videos of Parnas and Fruman with DeSantis at his campaign rallies, including at his election night celebration party have surfaced.
Politico reported Monday that Parnas appeared in pictures with DeSantis at campaign rallies in the final stages of the campaign last year, including events in Boca Raton and South Daytona within hours of each other.
A DeSantis spokeswoman said Parnas did not ride on the same plane with DeSantis, though.
DeSantis won the Republican nomination for governor last year over Agriculture in Orlando
Commissioner Adam Putnam in part because of President Trump’s support. He has remained a steadfast supporter of the president as Trump has faced an impeachment inquiry.