PUBLIC DOWNFALL

Andrew Gillum Says He ‘Didn’t Recognize’ Himself on the Night Police Found Him Lying in His Own Vomit

The former candidate for Florida governor gave an interview about the night that derailed his political career.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum said he “didn’t recognize himself” on the night that derailed his political career. In a preview of an interview with Gillum set to air Monday on ABC, the former Tallahassee mayor said he’s cried “every day” since police found him in a south Florida hotel room six months ago so intoxicated as to be unable to speak. A photo taken that evening reportedly showed Gillum naked and lying in his own vomit. “When that photo came out, I didn’t recognize the person on the floor,” he said. Police treated one of the men in the hotel room with Gillum for a potential methamphetamine overdose. The man identified himself as an escort, and Gillum said in the interview, “I would say the reason why I went to that room is probably no different than how anybody might communicate with someone that they are in a friendship, relationship, whatever, with. I understand very well what people assume about that.” He did not appear to clarify the facts of the matter. Gillum, once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, lost the race for Florida governor in 2018 by half a percentage point. He has since entered rehab for alcoholism and undergone treatment for depression.