Ron DeSantis has been trailing way behind Donald Trump in the polls. But you know what might beef up his stats? Committing crimes — or at least getting cronies to commit crimes for you. After all, being an indicted criminal who’s been found guilty of other crimes has worked wonders for Trump’s numbers. As it happens, DeSantis may be in luck.
As per Miami Herald (via Raw Story), Javier Salazar, the Sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, has concluded its investigation into the Florida governor’s Martha Vineyard’s stunt last fall. According to a statement, they’ve concluded that heads must roll. Salazar and team are recommending both felony and misdemeanor charges of Unlawful Restraint for those involved with luring migrants to a place unprepared to help them.
Back in September, members of DeSantis’ office arranged for 49 migrants, most of them from Venezeula, to be flown from San Antonio, Texas and deposited, without warning, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, off of Massachusetts. Some of the migrants described being lured with false promises of work and shelter. Upon arrival, they were housed at a church shelter, who did their best to help with limited resources. They were later voluntarily shipped to nearby Cape Cod.
The decision over whether or not to issue charges now moves over to the office of Bexar County DA. It’s unclear which DeSantis team members will be charged, but in their statement, Salazar’s team suggests they could go as high as top aides, including his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, and public safety czar Larry Keefe.
DeSantis may escape responsibility, but he may get a Mulligan: After a group of migrants were dropped off outside a San Francisco church on Friday, California governor Gavin Newsom suspected DeSantis was behind it and accused him of “kidnapping.”
(Via Miami Herald and Raw Story)