EXCLUSIVE: ‘Karma Is A B*tch’: MAGA Inc. Turns Up Heat On DeSantis Over Support For Puerto Rican Statehood
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support of Puerto Rican statehood legislation is the focus of a new ad from pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc.
In the ad, the PAC goes after DeSantis for cosponsoring the Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2018. The bill, if passed and signed into law, would have started the process of making Puerto Rico a state.
he ad will run alongside another new one, focusing on Trump combating China and securing the border. Both ads will be running simultaneously statewide in Iowa.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned that Democrats are trying to grant statehood to Puerto Rico to get two more Democratic senators in Congress, something he called “full-bore socialism.”
“Ron DeSantis is notorious for kicking people while they’re down. Well, karma is a bitch,” a super PAC official told the Caller before the ad was released.
WATCH:
The Caller contacted DeSantis’ campaign about his past support for Puerto Rican statehood. DeSantis’ press secretary Bryan Griffin denied the bill “takes a position on Puerto Rican statehood.”
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González-Colón, filed the Admission Act to make Puerto Rico a State, her website states. González-Colón’s website said the bill “charts the path for the decolonization of Puerto Rico and its entry into the Union as a State.”
Griffin continued, stating, “You might mean Donald Trump’s support for Puerto Rican statehood, as he had publicly stated:
‘There are 3.7 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico. As citizens, they should be entitled to determine for themselves their political status. I am firmly committed to the process where Puerto Ricans might resolve their status according to Constitutional and Congressional protocols. I believe the people of Puerto Rico deserve a process of status self-determination that gives them a fair and unambiguous choice on this matter. As president I will do my part to insure that Congress follows the Constitution. The will of the Puerto Rican people in any status referendum should be considered as Congress follows through on any desired change in status for Puerto Rico, including statehood.’ – Donald Trump.
“The legislation you reference, that DeSantis cosponsored bill, didn’t grant or take a position on Puerto Rican statehood; it clarified the process by which statehood would be granted to ensure it was subject to the will of the American people and a full congressional vote (‘CONGRESSIONAL INTENT.—The enactment of this Act expresses the intent of Congress to pass legislation based upon the Task Force’s final report.’) It put a process in place for PR to be potentially considered if they met specific parameters and, then, after affirmation by Congress,’” Griffin concluded.
In 2018, Trump said he was an “absolute no” on Puerto Rican Statehood.
Donald Trump Jr. recently tweeted about DeSantis co-sponsoring the bill in question. Check Your Fact declared Trump Jr.’s claim was “True,” and that DeSantis “sponsored a bill in 2018 that would allow for Puerto Rico to receive statehood.”
