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State Rep. Randy Fine, who once helped chair DeSantis\u2019 Jewish outreach efforts, turned against the governor in a blistering op-ed, contending that Trump was a stronger friend to Jewish Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI got jumped by a Nazi in Florida. On video. Two weeks ago. In Ron DeSantis\u2019 Florida, that\u2019s no big deal,\u201d Fine wrote in the Washington Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEvery piece of legislation you hear him talk about regarding Jewish issues is one I wrote,\u201d Fine added of the governor. \u201cI love his words. His actions have broken my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fine cited an uptick in antisemitic attacks across the Sunshine State in the wake of Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7 terror assault on southern Israel and accused DeSantis of paying lip service to confronting anti-Jewish hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn 2020, I had an open anti-Semite run against me; she called me a \u2018pest\u2019 who should be \u2018exterminated,’\u201d Fine recalled. \u201cSo many Republican leaders came to my defense; Governor DeSantis did not. He didn\u2019t even endorse me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen [Trump] was President, Islamic countries weren\u2019t attacking Jews over there; neo-Nazis were not attacking Jews over here because they feared him,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe past two weeks have made me realize our choice as Jews is simple. We can vote for the Governor who says all the right things, or we can vote for the President who actually does them. When it comes to action, Donald Trump has never let us down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Florida House Speaker Paul Renner jumped to DeSantis\u2019 defense Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s never been a more staunch, pro-Israel Governor than Ron DeSantis, and his record proves it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s never been a more staunch, pro-Israel Governor than Ron DeSantis, and his record proves it,\u201d Renner wrote on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe rhetoric suggesting otherwise is wrong, just ask any of the hundreds of Americans who made it home on flights organized by the Governor when President Biden failed to bring them home to safety,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis shrugged off Fine\u2019s defection as \u201cpure politics\u201d during a campaign stop in New Hampshire and campaign spokesman Bryan Griffin defended the governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is nothing more than shameful political theater at a time when Ron DeSantis is leading the charge to support Israel,\u201d Griffin told The Post in a statement, noting that DeSantis had arranged to bring more than 700 Americans home from Israel and called the Florida legislature back into a special session to slap sanctions on Iran and bolster protections for Jewish students and faith communities in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen it comes to standing in defense of Israel, he\u2019s always been a leader who acts and delivers,\u201d the rep added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DeSantis campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Tuesday, the State University System of Florida ordered the dismantling of local chapters <\/a>of Students for Justice in Palestine, whose national leadership backed the Hamas attack on Israel, leading Fine to charge the move was in response to his op-ed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did it take me endorsing @realDonaldTrump to get you to take action?\u201d he publicly asked the DeSantis campaign on X <\/a>. \u201cI gave you all of this on October 9th. I have the texts. All I got back was a bunch of handwringing. While I am glad it is happening now, it is sad that you couldn\u2019t do the right thing because it was the right thing and only did it to minimize the political fallout of today\u2019s events.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know you think this song is about you \u2026,\u201d mocked DeSantis policy chief Chris Spencer in response. \u201cNews alert, hate to break it to you but this has been in the works for two weeks. Helping people is more important than politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n