Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis violated campaign finance law by advising a super PAC funding his presidential bid on what ads to run, a nonpartisan watchdog group alleged in a new complaint.
The Republican contender and his team are accused of illegally coordinating with Never Back Down on PAC messages supporting his candidacy, according to the complaint filed Monday by the Campaign Legal Center.
The DeSantis campaign also “knowingly accepted [in-kind] contributions in violation of the Federal Electoral Campaign Law” from the super PAC, the group said in the document.
Never Back Down, which is supposed to be an independent entity from DeSantis’ campaign, has pumped more than $100 million into supporting the governor’s White House bid, making the group crucial to his campaign.
The Campaign Legal Center said the super PAC has crossed the line that legally separates it from the Republican candidacy for commander in chief.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests during the Scott County Fireside Chat at Tanglewood Hills Pavilion on December 18, 2023 in Bettendorf, Iowa. Getty Images
“When a super PAC like Never Back Down illegally coordinates its election spending with a candidate’s campaign, the super PAC effectively becomes an arm of the campaign,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at the Campaign Legal Center. .
“That circumvents federal contribution limits and reporting requirements, and gives special interests backing the super PAC, including corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals, a troubling level of influence over elected officials and policymaking.”
The complaint cites reports from multiple media outlets detailing alleged corroboration and blurred lines between the DeSantis campaign and the super PAC, including that the latter often took on tasks that would traditionally be performed directly by a candidate’s campaign.
The super PAC promoting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis displays sign-up sheets with information and pledge cards to Iowans attending an Iowa Republican Congressional fundraiser that DeSantis headlined on May 13, 2023 in Sioux Center, Iowa. AP
Another alleged example of the illegal relationship mentioned in the complaint are requests by DeSantis and his wife to take back an ad that Never Back Down had been running but took down against his opponent Nikki Haley.
DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo denied the allegations in a statement to the Associated Press, calling the watchdog group’s complaint “baseless” and filled with “unverified rumors and innuendo.”
Romeo did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
Requests by DeSantis and his wife to bring back an ad, Never Back Down, had been running but were rejected against his opponent, Nikki Haley. never back down
But the legal concerns are not the first scandal to consume the PAC supporting the Florida Republican.
A series of top Never Back Down officials have resigned or been fired in recent weeks due to alleged infighting among team members and mismanagement issues. Three were fired, while the chief executive and chairman resigned in personnel changes that began in late November.
The most recent change came this weekend when the PAC’s chief strategist, Jeff Roe, announced he was resigning because he was dissatisfied with statements the group’s president made to the press about recent layoffs.
With mail cables.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn