Ron DeSantis' own higher education appointee says he lied in debate

Among the claims made in Wednesday's debate came from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who touted his quick action in defense of Israel.

"I already acted in Florida," DeSantis claimed. "We deactivated them. We're not going to use state tax dollars to fund jihad. No way. And what is Biden doing?"

DeSantis was talking about pro-Hamas student groups in the state. But it turns out it was a lie, according to his own appointee, who sought to expose him for it, reported The Tallahassee Democrat.

Ray Rodrigues, DeSantis' appointee to chancellor of the State University System of Florida, told the paper that the universities found proof that the groups weren't "subservient or under" that national organization when they investigated the constitutions of the two chapters of the National Students for Justice in Palestine.

While the national groups may be drawing criticism and accusations of terrorism, Rodrigues said the student groups aren't.

"The universities have not deactivated their university chapters," he told the Florida Board of Governors meeting on Thursday. "Additionally, both universities have obtained legal opinions. We have reviewed those opinions and, in short, they raise concerns about potential personal liability for university actors who deactivate the student registered organizations."

DeSantis has drawn criticism over the past two years as pro-Nazi groups have held rallies on highway bridges and outside of Disney World, which has been a DeSantis foe for its opposition to anti-LGBTQ laws.

The Miami Herald Editorial Board wrote an opinion piece in September saying that the arrest of a Nazi hanging swastikas over highways was a "great" first step.

"Now can the governor give a speech denouncing neo-Nazis?" asked the board. "The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said a 48-year-old Cape Canaveral man named Jason James Brown was part of a group of camouflage-wearing hatemongers who hung a swastika flag, along with racist and white-power signs, off a bridge so that eastbound Interstate 4 drivers could see them. Three other people are still being sought by FDLE. ... DeSantis had to do something: He’s running for president, and antisemitic incidents have more than doubled in Florida since 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League."

See the comments from DeSantis in the video below or at the link here.

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