>>> TOP DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS IN
FLORIDA ARE CALLING ON THE BIDEN
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO
INVESTIGATES GOVERNOR RON
DeSANTIS FOLLOWING A REPORT FROM
"THE MIAMI HERALD" REPORTING
THAT A GATED COMMUNITY RECEIVED
VACCINE MOVE THAN MOST OF THE
STATE.
AND DeSANTIS HAS RACED MORE
THAN -- INCLUDE A $250,000 CHECK
FROM RESIDENT BRUCE RONNER.
GOVERNOR DeSANTIS DENIES THE
STORY CALLING IT A, QUOTE,
POORLY EXECUTED HIT PIECE, AND
SAYING THE VACCINES CAME FROM A
HOSPITAL SYSTEM.
JOINING ME IS ONE OF THE
DEMOCRATIC OFFICIALS CALLING FOR
AN INVESTIGATION, NIKKI FRIED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
BEFORE I PLAY WHAT GOVERNOR
DeSANTIS SAID YET, WHY DOWEL
THERE WAS POTENTIAL CRIMINAL
ACTIVITY HERE?
>> YOU KNOW WHAT, WE HAVE SEEN
HERE IN FLORIDA IS POP-UP SITES
ALL OVER THE STATE OF FLORIDA,
AND THAT A LOT OF THESE POP-UP
SITES ARE IN VERY EXCLUSIVE
COMMUNITIES, WHERE YOUVE SEEN
SOME CAMPAIGN DONATIONS TO
GOVERNOR DeSANTIS EITHER IN THE
LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS OR
CERTAINLY THROUGHOUT HIS
CAMPAIGN.
THE LAST ONE IS THE MOST
EGREGIOUS WHERE A VERY EXCLUSIVE
RESORT AREA IN THE KEYS, 17
MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITIES GAIT
$5,000 CHECKS IN DECENT, ANOTHER
$250,000 CHECK SOME WEEKS
AFTERWARDS.
SO, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEBODY WHO IS
A PAST PUBLIC DEFENDER, I SAW
TIME AND TIME AGAIN THOUSANDS OF
CASES, AND IM VERY WELL AWARE
OF FACT PATTERNS.
I DONT NEED A LAW DEGREE TO
KNOW WHERE THERES SMOKE,
THERES FIRE.
THATS WHY WE HAVE ASKED FOR AN
INVESTIGATION.
SOME OF THIS IS TOO COINS
DENTAL.
>> LET ME PLAY WHAT THE IT
GOVERNOR SAID YESTERDAY.
>> IF YOURE 65 AND UP, IM NOT
WORRIED ABOUT YOUR INCOME
BRACKET, IM WORRIED ABOUT YOUR
AGE BRACKET.
IT WAS NOT ANYTHING THAT THE
STATE SET UP.
IT WAS DONE THROUGH ONE OF THE
HOSPITAL SYSTEMS.
IT HAD VACCINE, THEY THOUGHT IT
MADE SENSE TO GO AND DO 65 AND
PLUS, AND I THINK IT WAS A SMART
DECISION TO DO THAT.
>> WHAT KIND OF INVESTIGATION
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
WHO SHOULD CONDUCT THIS
INVESTIGATION?
AT WHAT LEVEL?
WHAT IS YOUR ARGUMENT AGAINST
THE GOVERNORS ASSERTION HE
WASNT INVOLVED IN VACCINE
DISTRIBUTION?
>> YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN THE
GOVERNORS M.O. SINCE TAKING
OFFICE AND QUITE FRANKLY SINCE
THE PANDEMIC STARTED.
WE SAW IT THROUGHOUT THE
PANDEMIC AND NOW WE SEE IT HERE
WITH THE VACCINES.
IF HE HAD A CLEAR PLAN FROM DAY
ONE ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF THESE
VACCINES, WE WOULDNT BET
GETTING INTO THESE SITUATIONS.
THE VACCINES COME TO HIM AND TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND
THEY GET DISSEMINATED.
WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT?
HE PROBABLY NEEDS TO TAKE SOME
OWNERSHIP IN SOME OF THE THINGS
HAPPENING HERE IN YOURE STATE.
AGAIN, ITS TOO COINCIDENTAL
WHICH IS WHY WEVE ASKED THE FBI
TO ENGAGE AND LOOK AT WHATS
HAPPENING IN THE STATE.
THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF
WHATS BEEN HAPPENING TIME AND
TIME AGAINST SINCE THIS ROLL-OUT
HAS OCCURRED HERE IN THE STATE
OF FLORIDA.
>> YOU ALSO WROTE THAT LAWMAKERS
ON THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON
THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS ASKING
THEM TO INVESTIGATE.
WHY NOT LEAVE IT WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT INSTEAD OF BRINGING
CONTINGENT INTO THIS?
>> THIS IS ALL HANDS ON DECK.
HERE IN FLORIDA THERE IS THINGS
HAPPENING THAT IS CORRUPTION AT
ITS WORSE.
WE WANT ALL HANDS ON DECK TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING
HERE.
IF IN FACT THE GOVERNOR IS USING
THESE VACCINES AS A POLITICAL
TOOL AND A POLITICAL WEAPON,
WERE HEARING COMMUNITIES THAT
HAVE BEEN OPPOSING GOVERNOR
DeSANTISS VIEWS AND APPROACH TO
THE PANDEMIC ARE NOW NOT GETTING
VACCINES.
WERE SEEING A DISPROPORTIONATE
AMOUNT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND
MINORITY COMMUNITIES GETTING --
AS YOUR PREVIOUS SPOT, SHOWING
THAT ONLY 11% OF OUR HISPANIC
COMMUNITY AND 5.1 OF OUR BLACK
COMMUNITY, COMPARED TO 51%
COMPARED TO THE 65 AND OLDER IN
THE WHITE COMMUNITIES.
BECAUSE WE DIDNT HAVE A PLAN IN
PLACE, THE GOVERNOR IS NOT
TAKING OWNERSHIP, YOU ARE SEEING
HUGE DISPARAGEMENTS WHERE THESE
VACCINES ARE BEING PLACED, AND
WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH
THE WHO YOU, WITH CONGRESS AND
NOW THIS FBI INVESTIGATION TO BE
CALLED ON, TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE
HAS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND ACCESS
TO THIS LIFE-SAVING MEDICINE
THAT IS A FEDERAL AND STATE
RESOURCES, AND TO BE UTILIZED AS
SUCH.
>> GIVEN THE CRITIQUE YOU HAVE
LAID OUT, HAVE YOU DISCUSSED IF
YOU WILL RUN AGAINST GOVERNOR
DeSANTIS NEXT YEAR?
>> ITS CLEARER AND CLEARER
EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT HE NEEDS
TO BE A ONE-TERM GOVERNOR.
THE AMOUNT OF CORRUPTION WE HAVE
SEEN FROM SOME ADMINISTRATION IS
MIND-BOGGLING.
SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR STATE HAVE
COME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE
THEY HAVE DEAN GOVERNMENT
CORRUPTION AT ITS WORSE.
I HAVE VOWED TO STAND UP AGAINST
THIS CORRUPTION IN OUR STATE.
AS THE ONLY STATEWIDE ELECTED
DEMOCRAT, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE