Joe Skipper/Reuters
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, already under scrutiny for expenses incurred during a 2016 trip to New York City, is facing new questions after records released Tuesday appeared to show undercover FBI agents paid for his hotel room and ticket to the Broadway musical Hamilton. The records, released by an attorney representing former lobbyist Adam Corey, who was present on the trip with Gillum, included photos, a video, and dozens of text messages that appeared to cast doubt on Gillum’s claims that his brother paid for his ticket to the Broadway musical. Text messages released Tuesday show that Gillum was informed before the show that the tickets were bought by “Mike Miller,” an FBI agent looking into city corruption while posing as a developer, according to the Miami Herald. “Mike Miller and the crew have tickets for us for Hamilton tonight at 8 p.m.,” Corey reportedly texted Gillum. “Awesome news about Hamilton,” Gillum was quoted as responding. While Gillum claimed Tuesday that the text messages “only confirm what we have said all along”—that the tickets were reserved by a friend of his brother—Gillum’s Republican rival, Ron DeSantis, seized the new allegations as proof the Tallahassee mayor is lying. “It’s now abundantly clear that Andrew Gillum has repeatedly lied about taking free gifts and trips from lobbyists,” DeSantis’ campaign said in a statement.