WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday defended a state agency’s involvement with a $10 million donation to a charity founded by his wife as a “cherry on top” deal using funds from a settlement between the agency and the state’s largest Medicaid contractor.

DeSantis spoke after House Republicans this week questioned the donation to the Hope Florida initiative founded by his wife, Casey DeSantis.

The donation was part of a $67 million settlement last fall between the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and Centene Corporation involving overpayments related to pharmacy benefit managers. State law mandates that money from the settlement be put in a trust fund or a general fund under legislative oversight.

“When you do settlements, you can try to get as much money as you can, but this was in addition to what they were getting. This is kind of like a cherry on top where they agreed to make an additional contribution,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis called the settlement “100% appropriate.”

— The Associated Press