DeSantis is facing an FEC complaint over his campaign’s ties to Super PAC
A campaign watchdog group filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign and a super PAC that backed his presidential bid, accusing them of a “textbook example” of illegal campaign coordination.
In his complaint, the Campaign Legal Center argued that the super PAC, Never Back Down, had essentially served as Mr. DeSantis’ campaign, detailing the work it has done, such as providing private air transportation, funding a costly ground game in early candidate states, offering debate strategies and hosting events on the road. In turn, Mr. DeSantis and his wife, the group says, provided advice on messaging Never Back Down.
The complaint is based largely on news reports in The New York Times and elsewhere, which spent months chronicling Never Back Down’s extraordinary role in Mr. DeSantis’ candidacy. In recent weeks, the super PAC’s leadership has been roiled by concerns over advertising messages and the legality of its close ties to the campaign, prompting a series of high-profile departures.
“This baseless complaint is just one example of how the left is terrified of Ron DeSantis and will go to any lengths to stop him,” said Andrew Romeo, communications director for Mr. DeSantis’ campaign. “The FEC has made it clear that they will not take action based on unverified rumors and innuendo, which is the false information on which this politically motivated complaint is based.”
Mr. DeSantis said Monday that the unrest at the entrenched Never Back Down was “not a distraction for me.”
Speaking to reporters after an event at a factory in Adel, Iowa, Mr. DeSantis said he had no thoughts whatsoever about the weekend resignation of Jeff Roe, the influential chief strategist at Never Back Down.
“I’m not involved in that,” he said. “As you know, it’s a separate entity and so these things just happen and it’s not within my purview.”
Mr. DeSantis has said he is the no-drama candidate compared to former President Donald J. Trump. But the chaos at Never Back Down has undermined his story. When Mr. DeSantis addressed reporters after his Monday event, half the questions were about Mr. Roe’s departure.
For months, Never Back Down was plagued by disagreements over strategy and direction as it became clear that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was threatening to usurp Mr. DeSantis’ position as the leading Republican alternative to Mr. Trump. a dominant lead in the early state polls. Allies of Mr. DeSantis had wanted Never Back Down to focus more on his campaigning and election turnout, and less on television advertising.
The complaint to the FEC concerns a chain of events: Mr. DeSantis and his campaign have 15 days to respond to the complaint, after which the FEC’s general counsel will review the case and make a recommendation to the six-member commission.
The FEC, evenly divided between Democratic and Republican members, often deadlocks on whether campaigns have broken the law. A spokeswoman for the FEC said the commission would not comment on potential enforcement issues.
While the backroom drama will likely go unnoticed by many voters, the chaos at Never Back Down is expected to be a concern for Republican megadonors, who are increasingly looking to support Ms. Haley.
The Campaign Legal Center has filed four complaints with the FEC related to Mr. DeSantis and Never Back Down, including one accusing the PAC of violating the prohibit about “soft” money in federal elections. The group did that too accused Mr. Trump and a committee backing him for violating the soft money ban, and he has accused a super PAC supporting former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for accepting illegal contributions.