In an unprecedented move, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his supporters are pushing to shield him from the state’s public records laws. A bill currently advancing through the GOP-controlled legislature would permit DeSantis to conceal details about his travel and visitor logs at the governor’s mansion.
Another proposed bill would allow state political committees, such as the one where DeSantis has accumulated $85 million, to report their fundraising activities less frequently. DeSantis is also invoking executive privilege to prevent the release of records and prohibit staff members from testifying in court cases – a power traditionally reserved for presidents and not previously claimed by his predecessors.
Democrats and First Amendment advocates argue that these efforts could have long-lasting implications on Floridians’ access to their leaders, even after DeSantis leaves office. The Republican Party, however, maintains that such legislation is necessary to protect the security details and travel habits of the state’s top executives.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
