The Democrat who once ran against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on trial for allegedly pocketing campaign cash, illegally receiving gifts including theater tickets to “Hamilton” and lying to FBI officials.
Andrew Gillum, who was Tallahassee’s mayor before he became the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor, was on trial in a federal court in Tallahassee on Tuesday, when prosecutors argued he committed various crimes during his run for governor.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan said in opening statements that Gillum still had a large mortgage, was making payments on two expensive cars and affording private school tuition for his children when he quit his 6-figure job to run for office. He then had a hard time affording his lifestyle, so he used campaign funding to bankroll his personal life, Milligan argued.
“This case is not about politics,” Milligan said. “This case is about deceiving donors (and) stealing from his own campaign.”
h/t dr0id