Allies of former president Donald Trump have filed an ethics complaint against Ron DeSantis, accusing the Florida governor of violating state ethics and election laws with his ‘shadow presidential campaign.’
The Make America Great Again Inc. filed the complaint on Wednesday with the Florida Commission on Ethics, according to a draft obtained by NBC News.
The complaint is based on a law in Florida that requires any politician running for a new office to resign if the terms of the two offices overlap. DeSantis was re-elected to a second four year term as governor last year.
Trump’s team argued in their complaint that DeSantis is “already a de facto candidate for president” and his unwillingness to officially declare his candidacy is because he is trying to evade 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 his official decision to resign from office under Florida’s resign to run law. Governor DeSantis’s ham-handed maneuverings have rendered him irreparably conflicted and have left the statehouse vacant,” the complaint reads.
Florida’s resign-to-run law has been changed in the past to allow state politicians to seek federal office, most notably in 2008 when former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist was on the short list to be John McCain’s running mate, according to NBC. It was charged back in 2018.
This time around, GOP lawmakers in Florida have discussed changing the law again to allow DeSantis to run for president.
The complaint asked the commission to investigate whether PACs aligned with DeSantis and state-level campaign contributions “are unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives, are in furtherance of his personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers.”
If DeSantis is found guilty, he could face penalties ranging from fines to removal from office or impeachment.
However, it is unlikely that the commission will even investigate DeSantis considering he appointed five of the nine members including chairman Glenton Gilzean, who the complaint was addressed to.
