By Chris Menahan

Governor Ron DeSantis went straight from dining with top pro-Israel GOP megadonors during his trip to Jerusalem on Wednesday to signing an oppressive hate crime law to jail critics of Israel in Florida.

From Axios, “Scoop: DeSantis dines with Miriam Adelson, other major GOP donors in Israel”:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dined with Miriam Adelson — former President Trump’s top financial backer in 2020 — and other major GOP donors in Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to two sources who attended the dinner.

Why it matters: DeSantis, considered Trump’s top rival for the GOP nomination, is expected to announce his presidential exploratory committee in the coming weeks.

– Politico reported in October 2022 that Adelson, widow to the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, told several possible Republican candidates that she plans stay neutral in the 2024 primary.

– Representatives for Adelson did not respond to a request for comment. DeSantis’ campaign declined to comment.

Driving the news: DeSantis arrived in Israel on Wednesday as part of a four-leg trip that could help the likely presidential candidate boost his foreign policy credentials.

– DeSantis met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog before attending a dinner at the Museum of Tolerance, where he was the guest of honor, according to sources in the room.

– The dinner was hosted by Larry Mizel, a Denver-based business executive and philanthropist who founded the museum. In 2016, Mizel was the finance chairman for the Trump campaign in Colorado.

– Mizel did not respond to Axios’ request for comment.

Behind the scenes: DeSantis sat in between Adelson and Mizel during the dinner in Jerusalem, which lasted for about two hours, according to sources in the room.

– The Adelsons were early backers of DeSantis when he ran for governor in 2018, contributing at least $500,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC.

– Sheldon and Miriam Adelson were also Trump’s biggest donors. In the 2020 election, $90 million of the more than $200 million they contributed to Republican groups and candidates went to Trump’s presidential campaign.

[…]

– Mizel, meanwhile, has been one of the biggest donors to Trump and Republican groups in Colorado.

Hilariously, after flying to Israel and signing what amounts to a hate speech law to silence American critics of Israel in Florida to please his pro-Israel donors, DeSantis said the U.S. must not “butt into” Israel’s affairs on issues like Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan.

“We must also in America respect Israel’s right to make its own decisions about its own governance,” DeSantis said. “You are a smart country, you figure it out — it shouldn’t be for us to butt into these important issues.”

DeSantis’ Israel First donors should butt out of America’s governance and stop trying to take away our First Amendment rights.

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