TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Attorney General James Uthmeier used a press conference announcing long prison sentences in a Tallahassee drug trafficking case to aggressively push back on questions about the Hope Florida scandal.
State Capitol reporter Forrest Saunders covered the press conference, in which the AG repeatedly dismissed the controversy as a "nothing burger."
While touting convictions and harsh sentences as proof of Florida's tough-on-crime posture, Uthmeier bristled at reporters' questions about the complaint tied to Hope Florida, insisting no laws were broken, suggesting no indictments were pending, and accusing a GOP Rep. Alex Andrade of raising the issue for "nefarious motives."
Uthmeier framed the scrutiny as a political distraction meant to undermine the state’s opposition to recreational marijuana, arguing Florida ultimately protected taxpayers from "tens or hundreds of millions" in costs.
Uthmeier repeatedly deflected requests for specifics to State Attorney Jack Campbell, whose grand jury report is still pending, stressing his office is focused on prosecuting criminals, election fraud, and public safety — not what he portrayed as a manufactured scandal.
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