Governor DeSantis silence on Florida’s ties to Russia are in stark contrast to other GOPers around the country. While many GOP Governors across the country review their own state’s investments in Russian companies in wake of Russia’s naked aggression in Ukraine, DeSantis remains silent. It’s incredibly significant given DeSantis leads a state that has been used as a virtual “laundromat” for Russian oligarchs for two decades or more.

Russia is apparently a topic that Governor Ron DeSantis and other GOP cabinet members who oversee the state’s mammoth nearly $200 billion pension plan really don’t want to talk about. Florida has about $300 million (pre-invasion appraisal, almost certainly less now obviously) in Russian-related investments.

Last week, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said following circulation of a letter urging Florida to review it’s Russian investments was signed ONLY BY DEMOCRATS in the delegation.

“Urgently isolating Vladimir Putin and his oligarchs saves Ukrainian lives, and I’m repulsed that DeSantis and his fellow Republicans refuse to divest Florida’s Russian-tied assets.” “I’m also stunned that, given the chance, Florida’s Republican members of Congress refused to sign this straightforward letter urging their counterparts in Tallahassee to wipe this blood-stained money off Florida’s investment books.”

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida)

It’s interesting that DeSantis, who loves to stir it up and create controversies that divide Floridians, pitting neighbor against neighbor and family member against family member, won’t weigh in on this. Why is that? For a Governor, who has such strong opinions about a variety of subjects including how other western democracies conduct their internal affairs, he’s gone noticeably radio silent on this.