Trump Allies Launch Ethics Complaint Against Ron DeSantis, Fueling Intensifying GOP Showdown

Allies of Donald Trump are escalating their battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by formally accusing him of violating state ethics and election laws with his “shadow presidential campaign.” Make America Great Again Inc. is filing a 15-page complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics, alleging that pro-DeSantis super PACs, his book tour, and a continued wave of state-level campaign contributions are unlawful, as they serve his personal political objectives, further his personal financial gain, and influence his decision to resign from office.

Since Trump announced his run for president in November, he has grown more publicly hostile toward DeSantis, a former political protégé now expected to be his chief rival in the Republican primaries. However, this complaint marks the first time Trump’s supporters have turned their feud into a formal legal fight.

DeSantis’ communications director, Taryn Fenske, dismissed the complaint as frivolous and politically motivated. Trump’s allies face a challenge in getting the commission to investigate DeSantis, as he appointed five of its nine members. Potential penalties, if any, could include fines, public censure, ballot disqualification, removal from office, or impeachment.

Although DeSantis is widely expected to run for president, he has not yet formally announced his candidacy. The complaint claims he has already taken all the necessary steps for a White House run, such as visiting early primary states, writing a book, raising millions of dollars for a state-level committee that could be transferred to a federal super PAC, and seeing a multitude of supporter-led super PACs and an outside nonprofit group emerge.

The pro-Trump super PAC argues that these steps collectively violate several Florida laws about officeholders accepting illegal gifts. The complaint partly relies on Florida’s resign-to-run law, which mandates politicians running for a new office to resign if the terms of the two offices will overlap. DeSantis was re-elected last year to another four-year term.

Florida legislators have altered the law in the past and have openly discussed changing it again during the current legislative session to accommodate a potential DeSantis presidential bid. Trump’s allies argue that, because the law has not yet been changed, any gifts or money accepted to influence DeSantis’ decision to resign from office and run for president violate state law preventing officeholders from accepting gifts designed to sway an “official action.”

The ethics complaint specifically mentions a new Virginia-based super PAC called Run, Ron, Run!, created by Ken Cuccinelli, a former top official in the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security. The complaint claims that the creation of this and other super PACs represents illegal attempts to persuade DeSantis to resign from office.

DeSantis has raised over $10 million for a state-level political committee called Friends of Ron DeSantis since the beginning of the year. The money can be transferred to a federal super PAC, but Trump’s team argues that the committee’s continued spending represents attempts to boost DeSantis’ presidential aspirations.

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