Senate President Wilton Simpson turned down a chance to speak at Donald Trump’s rally this past weekend in Sarasota. And while his team denies it, sources close to those who helped organize the rally say he changed his plans after he learned U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz was also on the speaker’s list.
Again, Team Simpson says the reason why the Trilby Republican did not speak was that he made last-minute plans to visit the Surfside condo collapse site.
But here’s the story that’s making the rounds. No one knew scandal-mired Gaetz would show up at the Sarasota rally on Saturday and demand time on stage, including other elected officials. While Gaetz ended up with an afternoon speaking slot, Simpson didn’t want a place anywhere on the same slate of speakers.
You know the biggest reason. The Fort Walton Beach Congressman, once one of Trump’s most reliable cable news cheerleaders, remains under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking of a minor.
The thing is, Simpson likely would be more welcome on the microphone these days than Gaetz. We hear Trump didn’t exactly clamor to provide Gaetz a venue. The ex-President offered only a tepid defense of Gaetz earlier this year. “It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him,” was the best Team Trump could muster in a statement.
Meanwhile, Trump gave a strong endorsement to Simpson for his expected-but-as-yet-unannounced bid for Florida Agriculture Commissioner, declaring, “Wilton will never let the great people of Florida down!”
Meanwhile, friction between Simpson and Gaetz goes back further than recent legal woes. Gaetz made headlines in January when he hinted at his own run for Agriculture Commissioner.
Simpson probably made the smart decision with his plans this past weekend. He and House Speaker Chris Sprowls accompanied Gov. Ron DeSantis to the site of the Surfside condo collapse, a pressing matter that also held the Governor in South Florida instead of Sarasota.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
Tweet, tweet:
It’s been six months since I took this photo after the attack on our Capitol.
As a member of the 1/6 Select Committee, I’m ready to get to work to find the truth and secure our democracy. pic.twitter.com/97JT7cvITJ
— U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (@RepStephMurphy) July 6, 2021
—@ChipLaMarca: Someone once explained that when we properly fund our first responders, it’s not necessarily for a 9-5/40hr workweek. It’s for times of great crisis and catastrophe. They were right. That’s why I will always proudly stand alongside these heroes and provide everything they need.
—@RT_Dailey: The U.S. Capitol Police plans to open a regional field office in Tampa “to investigate threats to Members of Congress.” “At this time, Florida and California are where the majority of our potential threats are,” the agency told me. USCP also planning an office in San Francisco
—@harrisalexc: Remember Piney Point? Elsa will pass right by it, but DEP says the patch over the leak has been “functioning as expected.”
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