Former President Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as a Super PAC linked to Trump accused DeSantis of ethics violations related to what it calls his “shadow presidential campaign”.
The Make America Great Again Inc. draft letter, which is 15 pages long, calls on the Florida Commission on Ethics to investigate DeSantis, alleging that he has violated several state statutes and federal campaign finance laws.
The complaint refers to DeSantis as a “de facto candidate for president” and claims that he is using his elected office to develop his national profile and influence the national electorate.
The letter argues that DeSantis is “leveraging his elected office and breaching his associated duties in a coordinated effort to develop his national profile, enrich himself and his political allies, and influence the national electorate.”
The complaint alleges that DeSantis has failed to declare his candidacy in order to accept unethical gifts, illegal campaign contributions, and certain personal benefits that are necessarily intended to influence his official decision to resign from office under Florida’s resign-to-run law.
The letter includes evidence that DeSantis has “abused his office and abdicated his official duties in favor of pursuing his national political interests,” such as meeting with influential figures in early primary states and vetting operatives in those states.
The letter asks the commission to impose one or more penalties on DeSantis, including impeachment, removal from office, public censure, ballot disqualification, and fines.
It refers to Florida law that prohibits a person from qualifying as a candidate for more than one public office if the terms run concurrently with each other.
DeSantis has yet to officially enter the 2024 race but is expected to do so once Florida’s legislative session ends in May.
He has been promoting his new book, “The Courage to Be Free,” on a national tour that has taken him to some of the early voting GOP states, including Iowa and New Hampshire.
Last week, DeSantis and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, the only other declared GOP presidential candidate, made multiple appearances in Iowa.
In response to the letter, a spokeswoman for DeSantis called it a “frivolous and politically motivated attack” and said it was inappropriate to use state ethics complaints for partisan purposes.
Polls have consistently shown Trump and DeSantis as the top two contenders for the 2024 Republican nomination.
»DeSantis Faces Allegations of Unethical Conduct from Trump-Linked Super PAC«
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