This morning, the Tampa Bay Times reported that special interest insider and “proud NRA sellout” Adam Putnam was holding a fundraiser hosted by Chris Comins, a man who was videotaped shooting dogs. Putnam’s response evolved in the hours after the story posted. First, his campaign responded by equating his receiving money from a dog shooter to his opponent receiving money from a registered Democrat (the horror). Then, Putnam’s campaign said the candidate himself was no longer attending the event. Minutes later, they announced that the fundraiser was being canceled all together. What was missing from Putnam’s numerous responses to a story that is only hours old? Putnam didn’t mention whether or not he was returning the contributions he has already received from the dog shooter. Putnam received $2700 just two months ago from Comins. The Republican Party of Florida has also received money from Comins.
“Canceling one fundraiser with this dog shooter means nothing if Chris Comins’s checks are still sitting in Adam Putnam and the Republican Party of Florida’s bank accounts,” said American Bridge spokesperson Zach Hudson. “We would hope accepting thousands of dollars from someone who was caught on camera shooting dogs is a bridge too far even for Adam Putnam.”
Published: May 24, 2018