Latest

Times ‘hit piece’ on how DeSantis press secretary got hired backfires spectacularly

July 30, 2021 | | Print Article

Gov. Ron DeSantis is a frequent target of the media, both at the state and national level, which may be the best sign that the left considers the popular Republican a formidable threat.

Taking a break this week from zeroing in on the governor, the Tampa Bay Times set their sights instead on his press secretary, Christina Pushaw. Like her boss, Pushaw appears to see the press for what it is and they don’t like that very much.

In the rush to inflict damage, the Times may have overshot the runway in a piece that some critics have described as bizarre. You see, the paper mocked Pushaw for being so inspired by DeSantis that she pursued a job in his administration. Egad!

Pushaw, 30, a communications professional, contacted the governor’s press secretary in March and explained that she was inspired by his handling of the pandemic and his way of responding to the media’s many “false narratives,” according to the Times. She also said she wanted to do her part to prevent the “devastation caused by socialism … from happening in our country.”

The email was obtained by a Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times records request — the newspapers often share content.

“If there are any openings on the governor’s comms team, I would love to throw my hat in the ring,” she wrote.

A resident of Washington, D.C., Pushaw would move to Florida upon being hired.

The Times reported that by May 10, Pushaw was hired as DeSantis’ press secretary, earning $120,000 per year. However, as the piece goes on to make clear, it’s Pushaw’s tweeting that really draws the liberal media’s ire — to say that she gives as good as she gets may be an understatement.

An example of this can be seen below, with Pushaw responding to a tweet noting that the father of reporter Kirby Wilson, who wrote the piece, is a former managing editor of the Tampa Bay Times.

“You mean you didn’t just walk into a job at your dad’s newspaper?” she tweeted.

Not only are they paying attention to Pushaw’s tweets, the Times/Herald went the extra mile to actually count them:

During her time with DeSantis, Pushaw has reinvented the position. What was once a largely behind-the-scenes communications role has become one of the loudest pro-DeSantis drumbeats on the internet.

In the last month and a half, Pushaw has tweeted at least 3,800 times, according to a tally compiled using the Internet Archive. In messages to her 11,400 followers, Pushaw — like her boss — has criticized mask mandates and other public policies aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

 

The Times picked through Pushaw’s resume, sharing that she once worked for a Koch brothers-backed foundation and listed the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a highlight. The newspaper also said she worked as a communications and media advisor for Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of the country of Georgia.

It is here that Wilson alleged that Pushaw had “ghostwritten” for Saakashvili, before delving into his legal troubles that appear to be unrelated to her.

Pushaw told Fox News that she was proud to work for DeSantis, and saw the Times article as just another “hit piece” on the governor.

“I’m fortunate to be working for the best governor in the country, and honored that I was offered this job, because it’s a great opportunity to make a difference,” she said. “Governor DeSantis is leading the fight for individual rights against big government overreach, woke corporations and lockdown lobbyists, and I’m proud to be a part of his team!”

“It’s incredible how every time the corporate media attempts to do a hit piece on him, it backfires,” she added.

Yes, it seems the Times/Herald took a mighty swing and… well, whiffed.

But don’t take our word for it, here’s a sampling of some of the responses to the story from Twitter: (** Language warning)

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Tom Tillison
Latest posts by Tom Tillison (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

PLEASE JOIN OUR NEW COMMENT SYSTEM! We love hearing from our readers and invite you to join us for feedback and great conversation. If you've commented with us before, we'll need you to re-input your email address for this. The public will not see it and we do not share it.

Latest Articles