'She’s effective at calling out their lies,' Gov. DeSantis defends press secretary over Washington Post 'smear'

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is undeterred by a Washington Post article on his press secretary, Christina Pushaw, who registered as a foreign agent due to her previous work with the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili.

DeSantis slammed the Post and other “legacy media outlets” for running the story, which many have described as a “hitpiece” on Pushaw and DeSantis by extension.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, the Florida governor shared his remarks with a reporter who asked him about the report.

“I am not deterred by any smear piece from these legacy media outlets,” DeSantis said, according to WFLA. “The only reason they’re attacking her is because she does a great job and she’s effective at calling out their lies and their phony narratives.”

“So whenever they’re smearing somebody, you know that person is over the target. They’re scared of that,” he added.

“I would be much more concerned if the Washington Post was writing puff pieces about her. Then I would think something is wrong,” he said, describing it as a “ridiculous attempt at smear.”

Ron DeSantis gives master class on how to defuse a trash story from corporate media — then goes GOBLIN MODE on the Washington Post for publishing smear about the great @ChristinaPushaw.

“That means she’s doing her job. I’d be worried if they were writing puff pieces about her.” pic.twitter.com/uqMCahSX5j

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 8, 2022

Pushaw’s lawyer, Michael Sherwin, addressed her registration in a statement provided to the Post.

“Her efforts included writing op-eds, reaching out to supporters and officials, and advocating on his behalf in Georgia and in the United States,” Sherwin said. “The work ended in 2020. Ms. Pushaw was notified recently by the DOJ that her work on behalf of Mr. Saakashvilli likely required FARA registration. Ms. Pushaw filed for the registration retroactively as soon as she was made aware.”

Saakashvili has been an opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Pushaw’s work with Saakashvili focused on enabling free and fair elections in Georgia, according to her lawyer.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, requires that any person who works on behalf of a foreign government or political party register as a foreign agent.