Conservative US Congressman Ron DeSantis (R) is in a close race for Governor in Florida, with Tallahassee Mayor, and far-left Democrat candidate, Andrew Gillum.

Gillum is so far left, that he’s been endorsed by Socialist Bernie Sanders.

Only two months ago, the Tampa Bay Times reported that much of the party establishment had written off Gillum eight months ago, amid revelations that Tallahassee City Hall was the focus of a public corruption investigation.

Fundraising all but dried up as the Tallahassee Democrat spit out ominous news nuggets: A federal grand jury last summer subpoenaed five years of city records related to redevelopment deals and developers, including a longtime friend, lobbyist and political ally of Mayor Gillum’s. … The FBI interviewed Gillum, who stressed that the FBI told him he was not “the focus” of their investigation. … A photo showed Gillum on a boat in New York City in 2016 with his lobbyist friend — Tampa native Adam Corey — and an undercover FBI agent who had been posing as a developer looking to do deals in Tallahassee.

He has not helped himself by refusing to discuss almost anything about the matter.

The Democrat reported in August that an undercover FBI agent may have invited Gillum to attend Hamilton on Broadway and a Mets game. Gillum last week would not even say whether he attended either.

“All I can confirm is I never did anything that I didn’t pay for,” he said, explaining that the FBI did not want him to discuss the case.

“All I would ask people do is follow the facts. I have not been mentioned in any one of the subpoenas so far that have been issued, not the public, not the private, not anybody who works for me.”

Not a terrific campaign slogan: I have not been mentioned so far in any subpoena.

Today is a new day, however, and today, the Democrat darling, Andrew Gillum is finding himself in hot water after new text messages are revealed, that could spell the end for the far-left Democrat gubernatorial candidate.

According to the Miami Herald – Undercover FBI agents paid for Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum’s hotel room and his ticket to the Broadway musical “Hamilton” during a 2016 trip to New York City, according to a bombshell trove of records that raises new questions two weeks before the Nov. 6 election for Florida governor.

Among the records released Tuesday: photos, a video and dozens of text messages between Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, former lobbyist Adam Corey, and an undercover FBI agent. They appear to contradict Gillum’s explanation for the expenses, which have been made a major issue by his Republican rival, Ron DeSantis.

These are photos from the controversial New York City trip. At bottom left, Andrew Gillum poses with Adam Corey and his brother, Marcus. Special to the Times/Herald

Gillum’s campaign has maintained — and continued to do so Tuesday after the records were released — that Gillum’s brother, Marcus, handed him the ticket the night of the show.

But text messages at the time of the trip show Gillum was told the tickets came from “Mike Miller,” an FBI agent looking into city corruption who was posing as a developer.

“Mike Miller and the crew have tickets for us for Hamilton tonight at 8 p.m.,” Corey texted Gillum on Aug. 10, 2016.

“Awesome news about Hamilton,” Gillum replied, according to the records.

The campaign has not said how Marcus Gillum, who lives in Chicago, came by such a sought-after Broadway ticket, or whether Andrew Gillum asked his brother about it.

“These messages only confirm what we have said all along,”Andrew Gillum said on Facebook Live on Tuesday. “We did go to see ‘Hamilton.’ I did get my ticket to ‘Hamilton’ from my brother. At the time, we believed that they were reserved by friends of Adam’s, Mike Miller.

“And when I got there after work, got my ticket, we went in there and saw it, assumed my brother paid for it, and so far as I know, that was the deal.”

DeSantis’ campaign pounced with a statement: “It’s now abundantly clear that Andrew Gillum has repeatedly lied about taking free gifts and trips from lobbyists. If he’ll lie about these gifts and trips from lobbyists on national television, what else is he lying about?”

Gillum has repeatedly given vague answers to questions about who paid for the New York City trip. His avoidance of a direct answer became pronounced during a Sunday debate on CNN between DeSantis and Gillum.

“Did you pay for the ‘Hamilton’ tickets?” DeSantis asked.

“First of all, I am a grown man,” Gillum replied. “My wife and I take vacations and we pay for our own vacations … I don’t take free trips from anybody. I’m a hard-working person, I know that may not fit your description of what you think people like me do, but I’ve worked hard for everything that I’ve gotten in my life.”

The new records go beyond Broadway tickets.

They show that undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen were working for months to get an out-of-state meeting with Gillum, and that Gillum appeared willing to oblige them.

In June 2016, Corey texted Miller, the undercover agent, telling him that he would discuss options with Gillum.

“I just want to make it a good trip and Sweets and B will be booked on something else if we don’t lock something down,” Miller replied.

“Mike Sweets” and “Brian Butler” were the two other undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen.

Corey then followed up proposing to meet in Las Vegas.

“AG thinks Vegas in August is an easier option for him,” Corey texted Miller, referring to Gillum. “He is double checking availability with his office now. Stand by.”

Instead of Las Vegas, they met in New York, while Gillum was attending a conference on behalf of the People for the American Way Foundation, a liberal advocacy group that employed him.

Text messages show Miller paid for the airfare and hotel room for Gillum’s brother, Marcus.

“Send me the mayor and his brother’s information and I will have my girl book their flights,” Miller wrote.

Corey replied that Gillum had already booked his flight, but he would send his brother’s information “ASAP.”

“Just tell them to let me know what their flights cost and I will cover it,” Miller said.

The ethics complaint was filed against Gillum in June this year, and Gillum met with investigators in early September.

 

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.


We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.