CNN hired former Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum days after the Florida Ethics Commission found there was probable cause he committed ethical violations.
Gillum announced his new position on Twitter Tuesday morning.
Thrilled to be joining @CNN as a political commentator. 📺 👊🏾🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/UpOC7MRKAz
— Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) January 29, 2019
The former Tallahassee mayor was hounded throughout his campaign by an FBI investigation into his office and allegations that he accepted gifts from lobbyists during trips to Costa Rica and New York. Gillum denied the allegations, but text messages surfaced in October showing he lied about not knowing tickets he received to the musical "Hamilton" were paid for by a developer.
Gillum brushed off the scandal, accusing Republicans of racism for raising the issue. "The goal is obviously to use my candidacy as a way to reinforce, frankly, stereotypes about black men," said Gillum, who is black.
Republican Ron DeSantis narrowly defeated Gillum on Election Day, but the Commission on Ethics continued to investigate the corruption claims. The commission ruled there was probable cause that Gillum was guilty of five of the six ethical violations brought against him, his lawyer Barry Richard announced Friday.
"We’re going to have a full evidentiary hearing before an independent judge. It’ll be open to the public, and everybody can decide for themselves," Richard told the Tampa Bay Times. "There for sure will be no settlement."