(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A top communications official for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a public apology Sunday after allegations surfaced that she had developed a close relationship with a Republican candidate seeking the governor’s mansion in 2026.
Christina Pushaw, a longtime spokesperson for DeSantis, released the apology after gubernatorial candidate James Fishback accused her of quietly serving as an informal adviser to his campaign.
Fishback is running in the Republican primary against Rep. Byron Donalds and Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. Pushaw currently holds a senior advisory role within the DeSantis administration.
In a statement posted on X, Pushaw wrote she met Fishback in October 2025 and acknowledged offering him advice related to his campaign. Pushaw insisted she received no compensation.
She claimed to have severed ties with Fishback “because I learned that he had deceived me, violated my trust, and lied about me to numerous people in media and politics.”
“One matter that he deceived me about pertained to allegations that he had behaved inappropriately with minors in his Incubate Debate league,” she alleged. “I was recently informed of allegations involving additional minors.”
In October 2025, I met James Fishback after he sent me a direct message on X. I appreciated his commentary on conservative politics and Florida. For two months, we spoke frequently, and I offered him advice on his gubernatorial campaign. I was never working for him, I never…
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 18, 2026
Pushaw also said Fishback accused her of trying to get the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate him.
“Since then, perhaps to get ahead of any news of the investigation that he believes is coming, Fishback has been spreading deeply personal, hurtful, and false rumors about me,” she added. “He has claimed that we were romantically involved. He has even threatened to falsely accuse me of sexual harassment.”
Pushaw said she was “ashamed” of having previously befriended Fishback and providing feedback to his campaign.
She also apologized to Collins and Donalds “for anything I said to Fishback about them that coarsened the primary campaign and made it more toxic than it needed to be.”
She continued, “And from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry to Governor DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis for any embarrassment that my communication with James Fishback might ever bring on this office. They had absolutely no idea and would never have condoned my communications with him.”
Fishback, for his part, confirmed that Pushaw had acted as an informal adviser but said their relationship deteriorated after Collins entered the race.
“I told Christina that under no circumstances will I drop out and endorse Jay Collins or another candidate. I am in this race to win and fight for every single person who calls Florida home,” he wrote.
My statement on Christina Pushaw’s Crashout
For the last two months, Christina served as an informal advisor to my campaign. We spoke several times a week, compared strategy, and she even traveled to my campaign events.
That changed on Monday, when Lieutenant Governor… pic.twitter.com/25HiDQG5aQ
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) January 19, 2026
