Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis recently praised a lawyer suing one of former President Donald Trump‘s biggest allies.
On Tuesday morning, DeSantis held a roundtable discussion to discuss defamation and featured attorney Libby Locke, who is currently representing Dominion Voting Systems in their lawsuit against MyPillow CEO and Trump ally, Mike Lindell.
“Also joining us here today is Libby Locke, she is a partner at ClareLocke LLP and is an extraordinaire when it comes to First Amendment defamation,” DeSantis said as he introduced Locke in the roundtable discussion.
The comments by DeSantis about Locke come as he has continued to face criticism from Trump amid rumors that the Florida governor could run for president in 2024 and become a Republican opponent against the former president.
Trump previously called DeSantis “DeSanctimonious,” and said that he considers rumors about the Florida governor making a run for the 2024 presidency “disloyal.”
In November, DeSantis was asked about criticism from Trump, and in response, he said, “One of the things that I’ve learned in this job, when you’re leading, when you are getting things done, yeah, you take incoming fire. That’s just the nature of it.”
“We’ve focused on results and leadership. And you know at the end of the day, I would just tell people to check out the scoreboard last Tuesday night,” DeSantis added.
While DeSantis has not yet officially announced a bid for the 2024 presidency, polls have shown him in a tight race against Trump. According to a recent poll conducted by Club for Growth Action, Trump received 37 percent of support in a hypothetical Republican primary, while DeSantis received 33 percent. However, in a hypothetical matchup with only these two candidates, the poll found DeSantis leading Trump by 9 percent.
Following DeSantis’s comments about Locke, MyPillow CEO and prominent ally of Trump, Lindell, responded on Twitter.
“DeSantis hosting Dominion lawyer Libby Locke! He is showing his true colors!” Lindell wrote.
A number of other Conservative Twitter users also chimed in on DeSantis’s roundtable discussion.
Rapper Forgiato Blow, or Kurt Jantz, wrote “Why Is DeSantis Rubbing Elbows With Libby Locke.. She A Lawyer That Represented The Dominion Voting Machines Against Mike Lindell & Many More Conservatives.”
Why Is DeSantis Rubbing Elbows With Libby Locke.. She A Lawyer That Represented The Dominion Voting Machines Against Mike Lindell & Many More Conservatives pic.twitter.com/yz7LBBZWAE
— Trumps Nephew (@ForgiatoBlow47) February 7, 2023
Jantz was previously seen criticizing DeSantis for not endorsing Trump’s 2024 announcement for presidency. “Why is it taking so long for you to say you’re backing Trump?” Jantz previously said about DeSantis while speaking with Newsweek.
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis’s office and reps for Trump for comment.
The post Ron DeSantis Praises Lawyer Suing Trump’s Biggest Allies appeared first on Newsweek.
