Florida AG subpoenas DSA over alleged illegal foreign contributions—AOC calls it 'politically targeted attack'

Uthmeier said in an announcement, “Floridians who give to organizations operating in our state have a right to know where that money comes from and how it is used. Today, my office issued an investigative subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and our laws governing the solicitation of funds.”

“We are examining whether DSA accepted contributions or support from foreign sources of concern, including the regimes in Cuba and China, and whether its fundraising from Florida donors has been fully transparent and lawful. This includes scrutiny of recent DSA delegations to Cuba, where national leaders and national political committee members met with Cuban government officials, as well as a delegation to China.”

“It also covers travel fund solicitations that sought 10s of 1000s of dollars to cover costs for those trips and related activities involving Florida chapters, our laws prohibit accepting contributions from foreign sources of concern. They require organizations to be honest and transparent about how money is raised and used. The subpoena seeks the documents needed to determine compliance.”

The DSA has sent multiple delegations to Cuba in recent years. During a March trip, which included a coalition of groups such as the DSA and Code Pink, members met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Socialist political YouTuber Hasan Piker and CodePink's Susan Medea Benjamin were subpoenaed by the Trump administration over the trip.

A spokesperson for the national DSA group told the Florida Phoenix that they “are aware of the situation and have no comment at this time.”

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the DSA, was asked about the investigation on Tuesday night. She said that while she was not familiar with the probe being launched, “this being Ron DeSantis's Florida, I think it merits a lot of investigation into the merits.”

A reporter asked, “would you see that as being sort of a broad backlash to the gains that DSA candidates have made?”

Ocasio-Cortez replied, “Well, one thing I think we know is that Florida has engaged in political attacks on every institution, from Florida's public universities and Florida's public school system, they have attacked and engaged in political attacks, attempting to defund every basic public institution. And they also gerrymandered the state in an attempt to pick their voters instead of having their voters pick them, so I don't think that they have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to politically targeted attacks. That being said, you know I don't know Florida law. I can't comment on that.”