The Hill reports:
Former Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis offered to defend Disney after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation on Friday dissolving the company’s government.
She said while she differed with Disney “they have a right to speak and support or not support legislation without government consequences. Their customers have a right to react with their dollars. DeSantis is over the line here.”
Newsweek reports:
Ellis, who was hired by Trump as a legal adviser in 2019 and was later part of the legal team that tried to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election, first spoke out against DeSantis on the controversy surrounding Disney on Wednesday.
In an earlier statement sent to Newsweek, DeSantis’ office disputed Ellis’ remarks, saying that the efforts from the governor were not “retaliatory” but in support of “a more level playing field for all businesses in Florida.”
Responding to those comments, Ellis called DeSantis’ actions “the height of hypocrisy and anti-free speech” and argued that if a Democrat governor were to introduce a similar bill against a company that spoke out against a liberal policy, “DeSantis would be the first to say that’s wrong and tyrannical.”
Disney wouldn’t hire a nutbag like Jenna Ellis in a million years, but this is an interesting signal that Trump World may go after DeSantis on Disney.
Hi @Disney. ? Open offer to help defend your right to constitutionally protected speech against Florida’s illegal retaliation.https://t.co/RoF5qwermh https://t.co/fOGJcAqY1K
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 22, 2022
If you think defending the Constitutionally protected rights for all is a “turncoat,” you’ve really lost what it means to be an American. https://t.co/n6AVI5efOi
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 22, 2022
Who is “we”?
“We” the private citizens can retaliate by cancelling subscriptions and selling stock, etc.
“We” the State of Florida have both a moral and constitutional obligation to protect and not retaliate against Disney exercising their rights. https://t.co/gpkwBJA1Jp
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 22, 2022
This is weaponizing government to penalize a corporation for exercising constitutionally protected speech. That crosses the line between playing politics and a government acting illegally. https://t.co/tg9tTlCvne
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 22, 2022
So if you object to a blue state doing this, why cheer a red state for doing the same type of unconstitutional retaliation? That’s inconsistent and precisely the point here. https://t.co/EU6Gl0aldX
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 22, 2022