We now know why Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist’s (D) former campaign manager, Austin Durrer, suddenly resigned from his position.
According to NBC News, Durrer was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Background
This all comes as Crist, a Democrat, is facing off against incumbent Ron DeSantis (R) in the race for Florida’s governorship. DeSantis, according to the polls, is dominating the race by double digits.
It was on Tuesday that reports came out indicating that Durrer had stepped down from his position as Crist’s campaign manager. Many details about the situation were unclear at the time.
The following day, Samantha Ramirez, Crist’s spokeswoman, put out a statement on the matter, in the process announcing that Durrer will be replaced by Sydney Throop. And, as for the cause of Durrer’s departure, Ramirez said that Durrer resigned from the campaign in order “to focus on a family matter.”
It’s a somewhat twisted explanation given what we now know.
The latest
What we now know is that Durrer was actually arrested on Tuesday on domestic violence charges, specifically on a second-degree misdemeanor assault charge.
The arrest, according to NBC, followed a dispute that occurred between Durrer and Jackie Whisman, whom NBC describes as “the mother of his child . . . with whom he lives.”
That dispute apparently ended in violence. The probable cause affidavit states that “there were signs of physical injury to her face.” It is unclear just how serious the injuries were.
Durrer and Whisman have now put out a joint statement, saying:
Very sadly, an incident took place this week at our home that we both regret. We are both working to drop legal charges and move forward,” the statement said. “Our primary focus at this time is our daughter, our greatest joy, and we appreciate privacy and respect as we navigate this as a family.
Why the deception, Crist?
Many now are asking why exactly it is that Crist felt the need to lie to Americans about Durrer’s sudden departure. As Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’s Rapid Response Director, put it, “The irony is that most people wouldn’t have blamed Crist for the actions of a now departed staffer — if he’d been up front about what happened instead of covering it up.”
So, why mislead? Crist and his team have yet to explain themselves.