Red state AG caught orchestrating fake protest campaign to discredit lawmaker probing him

New evidence has emerged that the Florida attorney general's office incited protests against a lawmaker who was investigating him.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, "In an apparent bout of political payback, a spokesperson for [James] Uthmeier reached out to faith groups falsely alleging that Rep. Alex Andrade was proposing cutting funding for the chain of anti-abortion clinics known as the Florida Pregnancy Care Network. Uthmeier’s spokesperson asked groups to protest and carry signs in the House budget committee Andrade oversees on Monday."

“Tomorrow at 4pm, Rep. Andrade’s subcommittee is scheduled to meet for the LAST time, with almost three weeks left in Session,” said a message from Uthmeier spokesperson Jae Williams obtained by the Times. “There is more than enough time to tackle big issues, and fund the [Florida Pregnancy Care Network].”

Uthmeier's office initially tried to deny any involvement in the protests.

Andrade had been investigating Uthmeier's role in the Hope Florida Foundation scandal, in which health care settlement money had apparently been improperly diverted to a charity founded by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' wife to discourage low-income people's dependence on government welfare programs.

Uthmeier has had a rocky tenure as attorney general; in another instance, a judge held him in contempt of court for refusing to comply with a judicial order blocking enforcement of an anti-immigration law.