ABC News now reports that the U.S. Treasury Department is now set to launch an investigation against Florida’s MAGA-sympathizing Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, over his possible gross misuse of COVID-19 relief funds for his pandemic-stricken state to foot the bill for his controversial, politically motivated stunt that sent migrants on flights to Martha’s Vineyard.
ABC News obtained and reported on a letter from the Treasury Department inspector general’s office, in which the agency confirmed that they have “planned” audit work ahead, based on Ron DeSantis’ recent and highly controversial decision to transport throngs of undocumented immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, most notably, as well as various other places across the United States.
The Inspector General’s office sent the letter in response to members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, who made a request to the Treasury Department on September 16th, asking that the agency investigate the governor’s compliance with parameters and regulations that are in effect surrounding the use of funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was established by the CARES Act and the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, created under the American Rescue Plan Act.
POLITICO was the first publication to report on the Inspector General’s letter regarding the impending investigation.
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In the letter sent to Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts as well as five members of the Massachusetts Democratic House, deputy inspector general for the Treasury Department Richard K. Delmar wrote:
We have already sought information from Florida about appropriate use of that fund. We plan to get this work underway as quickly as possible, consistent with meeting our other oversight mandates and priorities, both in pandemic recovery programs as well as the other Treasury programs and operations for which we have responsibility.”
ABC News notes in their report, “Florida state legislators earlier this year laid out in the state budget that $12 million in interest earned off COVID aid be used to pay for the transport of ‘unauthorized aliens from this state,’ not that the state directly used the federal COVID funds. The DeSantis administration maintains that the $12 million put forth for migrant transportation was passed in June as part of the state’s budget.”
The letter notes that the Treasury Department will “specifically confirm whether interest earned on (the) funds was utilized by Florida related to immigration activities, and if so, what conditions and limitations apply to such use.”
Read the full report from ABC News here.
Featured image via screen capture
