The people of Florida are losing another top government staffer, with press secretary Bryan Griffin the latest to resign after serving constituents for just eight months. The move has raised speculation that Griffin, like his predecessor Christina Pushaw, is set to join the soon-to-launch Ron DeSantis presidential campaign.
DeSantis, 44, has run a shadow campaign for president for months, leaving Floridians without their governor for prolonged stretches during international visits, and primary state meet ups. In signing the “resign to run” law change in Florida this week, Governor DeSantis has changed long-standing rules to aid his run for the White House.
Griffin, who previously worked at the London Center for Policy Research, said in a statement that DeSantis is a “true and principled conservative” – a term most recently bandied about by ‘Never Trump’ activists and GOP establishment insiders.
In his absence, DeSantis is deputized by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, who once described Donald Trump as “the biggest con-man there is,” while claiming he supported the Ku Klux Klan.
Latest sign that DeSantis is announcing his bid for president soon – his press secretary is leaving "to pursue other avenues of helping to deliver the governor's success to our country."
Taking a role with the presidential campaign? https://t.co/cxIsXrCiqS
— Zac Anderson (@zacjanderson) May 15, 2023
The news comes just days after former Trump advisor Steve Cortes defected to the pro-DeSantis super PAC ‘Never Back Down’, which his former friend Steve Bannon described as a Judas moment.
🚨 Ron Desantis’ Press Secretary @BryanDGriffin is stepping down in order to join his Presidential campaign
Bryan met Zelensky fangirl @ChristinaPushaw through his work at Warsaw Security Forum, a Soros funded NGO
Why are all of Rons top people deep State affiliated neocon? pic.twitter.com/pFjJWYjdfq
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 15, 2023
Griffin is said to have first met his predecessor Pushaw, now running DeSantis’s political campaign, through a Soros-linked foreign policy group in Warsaw, Poland.