Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon said in a Wednesday interview that she wants her Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, jailed over her handling of settlement money tied to the Hope Florida initiative.
Speaking with CNN host Kasie Hunt, Nixon accused Moody of diverting $10 million meant for sick children on Medicaid. “The fact remains that Ashley Moody is a lying, cheating, thieving, scamming person who basically took $10 million from sick kids for the Medicaid program. And she rerouted that into two political slush funds for Ron DeSantis to defeat two citizen-led ballot initiatives,” Nixon said. She also said Moody “voted to end healthcare for over 440,000 people here in the state of Florida” and claimed Moody’s campaign has spread disinformation about her positions.
Nixon then said, “Why would I want to do that when I want her locked up and punished in jail for what she has done?”
Hunt pressed her to confirm the comment, asking, “You want your Republican opponent locked up?” Nixon answered, “Basically, yes. Because of what she did, yes. I absolutely would want that to happen. Yes.”
Nixon appeared alongside Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who did not comment on her remarks. Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Calls for an Investigation
When Hunt asked whether Nixon had evidence to support jailing Moody, Nixon said she would instead push for a formal investigation. She pointed to a ruling from Florida’s First District Court of Appeals that blocked release of a grand jury report, noting the appeals judge was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. “What we are seeing is corruption through and through,” Nixon said. “I would definitely call for an investigation as a federal lawmaker when I become a U.S. senator to actively go in to see what happened. People are pissed off. We don’t know how many children are potentially going to die because that $10 million did not go to where it was supposed to go to.”
Nixon also called Moody a “rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump and said she would push for “a full-on investigation as it relates to what Ashley Moody and them have done.”
Moody has not been charged in connection with the Hope Florida settlement controversy and has denied any wrongdoing. Moody’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republican Response
RNC spokeswoman Emma Hall criticized Nixon’s remarks. “Questions should be asked about why socialist extremist Angie Nixon wants to jail her political opponents, but is totally fine with freeing dangerous criminals. Plus, how does she plan to do this if she wants to abolish all prisons?” Hall said.
Background on Nixon
Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated establishment-backed candidate Alexander Vindman in this year’s Democratic primary. Despite her DSA affiliation, she told NBC News in August that she does not identify as a socialist, saying she joined the group over its support for public housing, health care, assistance for homeless veterans and reducing the influence of money in politics. “Ashley Moody knows that I’m not a socialist,” Nixon said.
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