BULLY PULPIT

Ron DeSantis Fires Back in War With Associated Press Over COVID Story

The AP complained the governor’s office was harassing its reporter. He’s calling it “deserved blowback.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has fired off a screed to the Associated Press— which had complained that his press secretary was harassing a reporter over a story about a donor’s investment in a COVID drug he has promoted. The reporter got threats and abuse after the flack, Christina Pushaw, told her followers to “drag” them—and Twitter temporarily locked Pushaw’s account because of it. But the governor says that’s just “deserved blowback.” DeSantis, who has opposed mask mandates and rushed to reopen Florida during the pandemic, also claimed without evidence that the AP story would deter people from seeking treatment with Regeneron, a monoclonal antibody. “Was it worth it?” he sneered in the letter.