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The pro-Trump Super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. has filed an ethics complaint against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), accusing the governor of engaging in “illegal conduct” running a “shadow presidential campaign.”
A March 14 letter to the Florida Commission on Ethics asserts that DeSantis has used pro-DeSantis super PACs as well as state-level campaign contributions and his “personally lucrative book tour” to prop himself up on the national stage as he essentially runs a “shadow” presidential campaign.
The complaint reads:
Certain activities related to Governor DeSantis’s ascension to the national stage, insofar as they are funded by a vast network of political committees, non-profit organizations, and prominent political operatives, are unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives, are in furtherance of his personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers, and are intended to influence his official decision to resign from office.
It also says that it is “no secret that Governor DeSantis aspires to national prominence.”
The complaint goes a step further, asserting that DeSantis is “already a de facto candidate for President of the United States under federal election laws.”
“Governor DeSantis’s failure to declare his candidacy is no mere oversight; it is a coordinated effort specifically designed for him to accept, as unethical gifts, illegal campaign contributions and certain personal benefits that are necessarily intended to influence,” it declares, providing what it describes as evidence of these claims.
For instance, one section of the letter states that DeSantis is focused on a “Shadow Presidential Campaign,” noting that the governor has met with “influential figures in early primary states,” asserting he is “vetting operatives in early primary states,” and adding that individuals allied with the governor launched a 501(c)(4) organization to “support his presidential candidacy by sponsoring his events in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago” — a likely reference to the governor’s recent pro-police tour.
The letter also asserts that DeSantis has “met with individuals who are likely to play key roles in his presidential campaign” and accuses his committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, of making “inappropriate expenditures aimed at a national audience,” allegedly violating campaign finance laws.
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USA — Science Pro-Trump Super PAC Files Ethics Complaint, Accuses DeSantis of ‘Shadow Presidential Campaign’