Allies Prepare Ethics Complaint And Look For Dirt On Florida Governor

Topline

Former President Donald Trump and his allies are turning up the heat on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, preparing an ethics complaint against DeSantis as both potential presidential nominees have increased their political activity in recent weeks, setting the stage for a nasty primary battle between the ex-president and his former protege—though DeSantis has steered clear of criticizing Trump or responding to his attacks.

Then-President Donald Trump talks to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a visit to Lake Okeechobee and … [+] Herbert Hoover Dike at Canal Point, Fla., March 29, 2019. Allies of former President Donald Trump are preparing to file a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics accusing DeSantis, of violating campaign finance and ethics rules by running a shadow campaign for president. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Key Facts

In team Trump’s latest shot at DeSantis, the MAGA Inc. super PAC—founded by Trump allies—is planning to file a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics accusing the Florida governor of essentially running a shadow presidential campaign on Florida taxpayers’ dime, as DeSantis hits the road to promote his new book, The Courage To Be Free.

The draft complaint, first reported by NBC, claims DeSantis’ “personally lucrative book tour,” a number of newly formed pro-DeSantis PACs and various other “activities related to Governor DeSantis’ ascension to the national stage” are “unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives . . . at the expense of Florida taxpayers.”

Trump, who has coined the nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious” to refer to his would-be competitor, has unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Florida governor in recent weeks: In Iowa on Monday during a visit that came three days after DeSantis visited the state, he highlighted DeSantis’ votes during his time in Congress in favor of reducing Medicare spending.

Trump also referred to DeSanits as a “RINO,” or “Republican in name only,” and accused him of being “strongly opposed” to the ethanol industry, referring to DeSantis’ vote in Congress to curb biofuel mandates that aid corn ethanol production—a key issue for Iowa voters.

The attacks are likely to become even stronger, as Trump’s operatives are conducting an aggressive opposition research campaign that aims to cast DeSantis as a lenient prosecutor during his time as an assistant attorney general, with a particular focus on his work surrounding child pornography cases, Politico reported Wednesday.

Trump is also gearing up to criticize DeSantis’ personality, according to Politico, and draw a contrast between their campaign styles—DeSantis tends to stick to scripted speeches and policy talking points, while Trump is notorious for his spontaneous rhetoric and regularly makes unannounced stops on the campaign trail to interact with the public (in Davenport, he visited a restaurant and took pictures with diners wearing “TRUMP WON” t-shirts, the Washington Post reported).

Chief Critic

DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske accused MAGA Inc. of using “state ethics for partisan purposes” in response to the complaint it’s expected to file. She told NBC it falls among “the list of frivolous and politically motivated attacks” Trump and his allies have launched against the Florida governor, who has steered clear of directly attacking Trump in public.

Key Background

Trump announced his campaign a week after the midterm election in November on the heels of unexpected GOP losses of his preferred candidates, drawing public criticism of his influence from prominent Republicans. DeSantis, meanwhile, is widely expected to announce a bid for the 2024 GOP nomination, but is unlikely to do so before the conclusion of the Florida legislative session in May. The two have kept somewhat parallel schedules in recent weeks. Prior to their Iowa visits, both men spoke at major Republican political gatherings held on the same weekend in late February (DeSantis at the Club for Growth’s donor retreat and Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference). A week prior to the events, they held dueling fundraisers within days of each other in Palm Beach.

Tangent

Several former Trump allies have broken with the ex-president to back DeSantis, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and former Rep. Tom Marino, who co-chaired Trump’s 2016 campaign in Pennsylvania. Trump’s former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security under Trump Ken Cuccinelli launched a super PAC earlier this month backing DeSantis. Other onetime Trump allies have cozied up to the Florida governor, including Trump donor and solar energy entrepreneur Jim Lamon and former Trump 2020 fundraiser Roy Bailey, who both reportedly attended a DeSantis donor retreat last month.

Surprising Fact

Despite the MAGA Inc. complaint, Trump and his subordinates were also accused of using the White House to engage in self-serving political activity in violation of ethics laws.The Office of Special Counsel reported at least 13 Trump Administration officials violated anti-patronage rules prohibited under the 1938 Hatch Act, the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington previously told Forbes. The OSC recommended Trump fire special counselor Kellyanne Conway after finding she violated the law dozens of times, including by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while serving in her official capacity.

What To Watch For

Former South Carolina Gov. and UN Ambassador under Trump, Nikki Haley, along with multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, are the only other two candidates who have announced bids for the 2024 GOP nomination. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) have also indicated they are considering jumping into the race.

Contra

DeSantis and Trump have struck a similar tone on their opposition to U.S. intervention in Russia’s war in Ukraine. DeSantis broke with Republican leaders in the Senate and Congress over the weekend when he said U.S. support for Ukraine is not a matter of “vital” national interest in response to a questionnaire from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, while characterizing the conflict as a “territorial dispute” that is detracting from more pertinent domestic issues. Trump has also trivialized the Russia-Ukraine war, telling the audience at CPAC he would settle the dispute in “no longer than one day,” while renewing his embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who Trump said he “got along very well with.” DeSantis’ comments in particular drew the ire of prominent GOP proponents of U.S. support for Ukraine, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who told CNN “to say this doesn’t matter is to say that war crimes don’t matter,” adding that Putin’s warmongering will extend “beyond Ukraine.”