Attorney General James Uthmeier, the Republican Party of Florida and at least two state attorneys, threatened legal action – and possible criminal prosecution – if TV stations ran ads about the contents of the Hope Florida grand jury report.
The grand jury report concluded the DeSantis Administration “misappropriated” $10 million from a Medicaid settlement as part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities.
The sealed report was revealed by CBS News Miami.
Earlier this month, the First District Court of Appeals “expunged” the grand jury report, saying it should never have been released because it harmed individuals identified in the report without any charges being filed.
The appeals court also concluded the $10 million was not public money.
The details of how the money was diverted before ending up in a political action committee controlled by Uthmeier have become a major issue in both Uthmeier’s campaign for Attorney General and Ashley Moody’s Senate race. Moody was the AG at the time of the diversion and “authorized” the transfer, according to the grand jury.
The Florida Democratic Party cited the grand jury’s findings in a commercial attacking Uthmeier. Uthmeier asked the court of appeals to issue an injunction against the TV stations running the commercial. The appeals court refused.
A few hours later, the Republican Party of Florida filed a lawsuit, also seeking to have the ads blocked. The judge assigned to that case initially refused, and the RPOF withdrew its suit.
Two state attorneys in Florida, however, sent letters to TV stations in the Orlando area, threatening them with criminal prosecution for broadcasting the contents of the grand jury report.
On Sunday, CBS Miami spoke to Barbara Peterson, a longtime advocate for the First Amendment and the executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability.
“I was speechless, which is, for people who know me, a very rare state. I couldn’t believe that they would be so heavy-handed and so ham-fisted as to try a block, a political ad,” Peterson said. “And I have to ask myself, which I do every hour, `What are they afraid of?’ and `How are they going to stop this?’ And this is something that deeply upsets me”
“You and I and the rest of the public, and other journalists are not supposed to be talking about the grand jury – even the gist of the grand jury report. Uthmeier went so far as to threaten journalists who asked him questions about the grand jury report, saying that could be a criminal act,” she continued. “But Uthmeier and the Governor have been crowing constantly about the First [District Court of Appeals] opinion and about the grand jury report. They’re talking about it, why can’t we talk about it? If the Republican Party is going to go after broadcasters for airing that report, they’re going to have to also go after citizens who post and repost that ad on social media.”
Late last week, the Florida Center for Government Accountability filed a motion with the First District Court of Appeals challenging their opinion that the grand jury report should be expunged. The motion also argues that the court erred in ruling that the $10 million diverted to the Hope Florida Foundation wasn’t public money. The Center is requesting a hearing before the full panel of judges.