Governor Ron DeSantis is once again mud-slinging while refusing to take concrete steps to address the problems in his own backyard.
The Florida Republican is refusing to divest the Sunshine state of $300 million in Russian-owned companies – investments it controls – while attacking President Joe Biden on Ukraine and Russia, as The New York Daily News reports.
DeSantis was notably silent for days after Russia attacked Ukraine but finally decided to weigh in – by attacking President Joe Biden while praising Trump.
On Monday DeSantis declared, “when Trump was president” Russia “didn’t take anything.”
“Hit (Putin) where it counts,” DeSantis also said. “The problem …. with Biden is that he has stepped on the neck of our domestic energy here in the United States.”
DeSantis also has not criticized Trump for calling Putin a “genius.”
The Daily News notes DeSantis “appears to be isolated among governors from both parties and across the political spectrum in refusing to take any concrete actions against Russia,” like divesting his state of its nearly $300 million in Russian investments.
“DeSantis and two allies, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Attorney General Ashley Moody control the State Board of Administration,” the Daily News reports. “The SBA manages an estimated $195 billion in state-owned holdings, including about $300 million in Russian-based entities.”
The request to divest Florida from assets tied to Russia came from state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat.