Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is alleged to have been illegally cheating, according to a new complaint, but it hasn’t helped his failing presidential campaign.
DeSantis is accused of engaging in an illegal coordination scheme with the Never Back Down super PAC that is supporting him.
The Campaign Legal Center filed the FEC complaint, and they detailed it in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, his presidential campaign, and the super PAC “Never Back Down” violated federal campaign finance laws by engaging in an illegal coordination scheme.
The complaint details how DeSantis’s campaign conveyed specific requests or suggestions from DeSantis to Never Back Down regarding its messaging strategy, a textbook example of a type of coordinating “conduct” described in FEC regulations. In particular, recent reporting indicates that DeSantis was frustrated that Never Back Down stopped airing ads attacking Nikki Haley, one of DeSantis’s opponent in the GOP primaries, and that intermediaries conveyed those messaging concerns to Never Back Down’s board members, who relayed the message to staff making strategic decisions for the super PAC.
What Ron DeSantis is accused of engaging in is classic illegal coordination. Campaigns are not allowed to coordinate with super PACs. The DeSantis presidential campaign has struggled to raise money, and has relied on the Never Back Down super PAC, which at one point had $200 million to essentially fund his campaign.
It looks like Ron DeSantis has been cheating, and he was about as good at that as he has been at running for president.
The fact that DeSantis appears to have been cheating, and still is crashing and burning speaks volumes about how terrible of a presidential candidate he has been.
Ron DeSantis is accused of cheating, and he still can’t win.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
