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‘Lose My Number’: DeSantis Spokeswoman Slams AP Over Quote

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Christina Pushaw, a spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, tore into the Associated Press on social media Wednesday night for using only a portion of her quote from an emailed statement.

“Here is my statement to American Pravda,” she posted on Twitter, including a graphic with the full statement she sent to AP reporter David Klepper. “I expressly instructed the journactivist to print it in full. Of course, he didn’t. Last time I ever talk to the AP. Lose my number, David.”

Pushaw calls the AP “American Pravda,” referring to an official newspaper of the former Soviet Union.

Here is my statement to American Pravda. I expressly instructed the journactivist to print it in full. Of course, he didn’t. Last time I ever talk to the AP. Lose my number, David. https://t.co/RdWCKYT7Vopic.twitter.com/N22gNQMn9a

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) August 11, 2022

Pushaw told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the interaction with Klepper came when she was asked to comment on a report by the Human Rights Campaign that criticized two posts she made on Twitter on March 4.

The AP article only used a portion of the statement in which she stated, “There are groomers of all sexual orientations and gender identities. My tweets did not mention LGBTQ people at all.”

The DCNF received a copy of her statement emailed to Klepper and links to the March 4 tweets.

If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn’t make the rules.

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) March 4, 2022

“Mr. Klepper did not respond to me until after the AP article was published,” Pushaw told the DCNF. “So yesterday afternoon, I saw his article in the news and noticed that he had not used my statement in full as I requested. This was disappointing. If he had a word limit that would prevent him from using my statement, he should have let me know and I would have responded with a shorter statement prior to publication of the article.

“The way he handled this is the latest example of unprofessionalism from the AP, which has become increasingly overt about their bias against conservatives,” Pushaw continued. “To drive home that point, I would just note that the headline of Mr. Klepper’s article referenced a ‘Don’t Say Gay bill.’ There is no such legislation in Florida and never has been.”

DeSantis signed HB 1557, a parental-rights bill, on March 28.

The Associated Press and the Human Rights Campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the DCNF.