Neo-Nazi gatherings in Orlando over the weekend sparked outrage around the country.
A group of protestors walked around the North Alafaya Trail chanting anti-semitic slogans and waving swastika flags before being scattered by law enforcement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ press secretary, Christina Pushaw, suggested the neo-Nazi group was a Democrat ploy.
“Do we even know if they are Nazis? Or is this a stunt like the ‘white nationalists’ who crashed the Youngkin rally in Charlottesville pretending to be Dem staffers?” Pushaw tweeted, referencing The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican group’s, stunt last year.
She later deleted the tweet and apologized for her “flippant” tone.
DeSantis was notably silent until a press conference on Monday. When asked to comment on her comments, he agreed that Democrat interference should not be ruled out.
“So what I’m going to say is these people, these Democrats who are trying to use this as some type of political issue to try to smear me as if I had something to with do that, we’re not playing their game,” DeSantis said.
He went on to add that the state supports “Orthodox Jews” and will continue to support them.
“Some jackasses doing this on the street … First of all, state law enforcement is going to hold them accountable because they were doing stuff on the overpass, so they are absolutely going to be doing that and they should do that,” DeSantis added.
The Orange County sheriff, John Mina, said that his office will be investigating the gatherings.
“This hatred has no place in our society. Any reports of criminal activities will be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
