Casey DeSantis defends hope Florida amid allegations of misuse

stigation into Hope, Florida. The governor's wife oversees this state program. Channel 9's Nick Papantonis is live in the studio to explain how this could all reshape state government. Nick, you know, it's like a pause in the Republican le investigation. It's happening because witnesses no-showed when they were supposed to testify in Tallahassee today. Now, observers say the governor and his wife exit this week politically damaged. You should not wield political agenda to try to kneecap something that is helping people do really really big things. Both Governor DeSantis and then his wife Casey taking to a St. Augustine stage Thursday in a mini victory lap temporarily relieved of attacks from fellow Republicans in Tallahassee and an investigation into their organization, Hope Florida. Hope Florida is not a program. Hope Florida is an idea. Hope Florida is a philosophy. It is how can we help people in need and do better. Lawmakers set off a bomb earlier this month when they accused the Dantis administration of using Hope Florida to siphon money owed to taxpayers from Medicaid settlements. They compared it to a slush fund that the governor's allies then used to launch political attacks against marijuana legalization and loosening abortion laws. The Republican leading the charge, saying this issue won't go away even if witnesses don't cooperate. $10 million is a lot of money in the real world, right? If someone defraed the state or a charity, out of $10 million, they would go to prison. That occurred. As she courted faith leaders Thursday, Casey DeSantis, who has her eye on running to succeed her husband, told the crowd she was focused on the work and not the noise. no matter what you know is written. Uh don't ever let politics get in the way of purpose. This story has local ties. One of the people who had agreed to testify serves as the attorney for the Orlando airport authority. Lawmakers blasted his excuse of attorney client privilege as bogus. Greg and Darlene. All right then.