In yet another demonstration of Donald Trump’s kitchen-sink approach to eliminate potential rival Ron DeSantis — in March 2023, nine months before any primary votes are cast! — Make America Great Again Inc. is filing a 15-page complaint Wednesday with the Florida Commission on Ethics, according to NBC News.
The complaint claims that DeSantis “solicited and received millions of dollars’ worth of illegal gifts in violation of Florida State ethics laws and the Florida Constitution.” By this, Trump’s allies mean that DeSantis has formed a nonprofit organization called “And to the Republic,” which hosted three events in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, where DeSantis spoke before law enforcement officers.
“DeSantis’s ascension to the national stage, insofar as they are funded by a vast network of political committees, non-profit organizations, and prominent political operatives, are unlawful because they serve his personal political objectives, are in furtherance of his personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers.” You can be forgiven for chuckling at allies of Donald Trump contending that somebody else is conflating personal and political objectives with government duties.
The filing, which is Trump-esque in its wording and logic, contends “Governor DeSantis’s ham- handed maneuverings have rendered him irreparably conflicted and have left the statehouse vacant.”
Where Trump’s allies may have a fairer gripe is their citing of Florida’s resign-to-run law, which declares “no [state] officer may qualify as a candidate for another state, district, county, or municipal public office if the terms or any part thereof run concurrently with each other without resigning from the office he or she presently holds.” However, the law doesn’t explicitly say national office, and also states “the written resignation must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the first day of qualifying for the office he or she intends to seek.” It is unclear if the law means ten days before qualifying as a presidential candidate in the primary, ten days before qualifying as a party nominee in the general election, or ten days before qualifying to be president, which would allow DeSantis to resign about January 10, 2025. DeSantis’ second term as governor runs until January 2027.
But the resign-to-run law is not likely to be a major hurdle for DeSantis. The GOP-controlled state legislature has already discussed revising the law to permit the governor to run for president without resigning his position as governor. The resign-to-run law was not in place in 2016, when senator Marco Rubio was running for president.