Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Miami Herald reports:
Gov. Ron DeSantis and top Florida Republicans are putting pressure on the state university system’s Board of Governors to look further into the spending habits of former University of Florida President Ben Sasse after a student-run newspaper reported that he’d spent millions in university funds on secretive consulting contracts and jobs for GOP allies.
On Friday, Sasse issued a lengthy statement defending his office’s spending. He acknowledged his office directed “substantial funding for a number of important initiatives” that, he said, had gone through the appropriate approval process. He said the university’s board of trustees had raised no concerns.
“These are initiatives we were running out of the president’s office — and there should be even more — and I am dang proud of each of them, as I believe they will benefit Floridians immensely if brought to fruition,” Sasse said.
Read the full article. As previously reported, Sasse ladled out huge contracts to former staffers and pals, some of which were out-of-state work-from-home deals. Florida Democrats, as you can see below, are calling for a criminal probe. Sasse has also posted a lengthy statement on X.
A criminal investigation needs to be opened, not this lame response from Ron who put Sasse there. https://t.co/3e1aZC609U
— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) August 16, 2024
Former UF President Ben Sasse responds to the DeSantis administration’s planned investigation into his spending after @TheAlligator first reported he tripled his office’s spending — a majority of which was for consultants and high-paid, remote positions for GOP allies. https://t.co/wPtdThwxEM
— Garrett Shanley (@garrettshanley) August 16, 2024
Sasse, who abruptly resigned from the post in July, issued a defense of his leadership in a 1,745-word message on social media, one day after Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis suggested expenditures should be probed. https://t.co/6Tj19s0X9V
— CBS News Miami (@CBSMiami) August 17, 2024