Pro-DeSantis group demands Florida reject Trump-allied PAC’s ‘frivolous’ ethics complaint
Gabe Kaminsky
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EXCLUSIVE — A political action committee trying to sway Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to run for president is demanding that the Florida Ethics Commission reject a “frivolous” complaint filed by a political action committee allied with former President Donald Trump that accused the governor of running an illegal “shadow presidential campaign,” according to documents obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Make America Great Again Inc., a PAC supporting Trump, alleged in a March 15 complaint to the Florida Ethics Commission that DeSantis has illegally received and solicited millions of dollars in gifts “in concert” with political consultants, a nonprofit group, and certain PACs. One of the PACs named in the complaint, Ready for Ron, is calling these allegations “meritless to the point of sanctionable,” alleging that the Trump-allied group seeks to “intimidate” DeSantis supporters from “exercising their First Amendment” rights, according to an ethics complaint filed Wednesday.
TRUMP ALLIES HIT DESANTIS WITH ‘SHADOW’ PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COMPLAINT
“To put it charitably, this complaint is a disgraceful mess,” Ready for Ron wrote in the complaint, which was filed by its chief legal counsel, Lilian Rodriguez-Baz, and first shared with the Washington Examiner. “The complaint’s allegations against RFR are completely groundless; they simply underscore his complaint’s complete lack of merit against Governor DeSantis.”
Trump announced his bid for president in November 2022 in front of his supporters at Mar-a-Lago, saying he wants to make “America great and glorious again.” DeSantis, who was reelected as governor in a landslide victory last November, has not announced a run yet but is widely viewed as the strongest opponent to the former president.
In its 15-page March complaint, the Trump-allied PAC’s chief, Taylor Budowich, and counsel cited various Florida statutes to argue DeSantis has illegally benefited from his “personally lucrative book tour,” donations on the state level, and gifts from and to the Republic, a pro-DeSantis advocacy group that has hosted events featuring the governor.
The complaint also extensively cited Ready for Ron, which in November 2022 launched a $3.3 million independent expenditure blitz to bolster a DeSantis presidential candidacy.
Ready for Ron’s response complaint alleged that the Trump-allied group’s complaint appears to have “not been submitted under oath” as mandated by Florida law. It cited a law relating to the document needing to be signed under penalty of perjury, and Ready for Ron says Budowich did no such thing.
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Ready for Ron’s complaint also took aim at the idea that it has been providing gifts to DeSantis. The Trump-allied group alleged prior that Ready for Ron violated Florida law by not registering as a lobbyist, but Ready for Ron says there is no Florida law dictating that it must engage in any such registration.
“What they’ve claimed is that we’ve acted as a lobbyist, as a lobbying entity, which is obviously far from the truth,” Rodriguez-Baz said. “We’re a PAC and the term lobbyist under Florida statute is someone who is seeking on behalf of another person to influence a decision or an area of policy.”
“The definition disqualifies Ready for Ron as a potential lobbyist,” she added. “You can’t really characterize this as that because we’re not seeking anything on behalf of another person. We’re operating in our own capacity pursuing the committee’s own goal of promoting Governor Ron DeSantis’s potential presidential candidacy.”
Another focus of the Ready for Ron complaint lies in the allegation that it has provided gifts to DeSantis to persuade him “to resign from office.” Ready for Ron holds that its “message has never been about inducing Governor DeSantis to resign as Governor” and that their view of him as a viable candidate cannot be restricted merely because “of the potential collateral consequences which may occur” if he does, according to the complaint.
“The absurdity of the complaint’s claims is complemented by the ridiculous remedies it seeks,” Ready for Ron said in its complaint. “The complaint asks this commission to impose, among other things, ‘impeachment,’ ‘removal from office,’ and ‘ballot disqualifications as penalties on Governor DeSantis.”
The complaint added, “Only the state legislature has authority to impeach the governor, while only the Senate may remove him. Moreover, a state may not disqualify a federal candidate from appearing on the ballot based on failure to satisfy qualifications beyond those set forth in the Constitution.”
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Most early 2024 election polls have shown Trump handily beating DeSantis, although a survey conducted between Tuesday and Wednesday found the contenders neck and neck. The poll, which was first reported on by Axios, showed the governor leading Trump 45% to 37% in Iowa and both at 39% in New Hampshire.
The Florida Ethics Commission did not return a request for comment.