Florida Commission strikes down Trump PAC’s ethics complaint against DeSantis

Florida’s Ethics Committee has dismissed a complaint by former President Trump’s allies who accused Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of coordinating a “shadow presidential campaign.”

Make America Great Again Inc., a pro-Trump PAC, had accused DeSantis of “illegal conduct” in a 15-page complaint filed in March. Taylor Budowich, a former Trump spokesman and now head of MAGA Inc., had claimed there was a likely reason to investigate whether the governor broke the law by fundraising through his Ron DeSantis PAC friends and his team early had political agents interview primary states, went on a “personally lucrative book tour,” and made other moves toward a presidential nomination without officially declaring his candidacy for senior office.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis, which is reportedly preparing to launch a presidential campaign in mid-May, had called the complaint “frivolous and politically motivated” and said it was “inappropriate to use state ethics complaints for partisan purposes.”

In a 12-page report obtained by Fox News Digital, the Florida Commission on Ethics dismissed Budowich’s motion “because it did not constitute a sufficient legal complaint.”

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The commission found that Budowich and MAGA Inc. had repeatedly failed to make specific allegations against DeSantis that would constitute a violation of Florida law.

For example, Budowich claimed that DeSantis “solicited and accepted millions of dollars in donations” with the understanding that those donations would affect his decision to step down as governor of Florida to run for president. However, the commission said that MAGA Inc. never claimed that there was any specific “quid pro quo” that would break the law.

“The complaisant does not state this factually, factually and inconclusively [DeSantis] solicited or accepted anything with the understanding that it would influence an official decision related to his public office,” the ethics committee said. “The complaint describes alleged actions taken by other organizations on behalf of [DeSantis’] expected presidential election campaign, but never explicitly claims this [DeSantis] and these organizations have an agreement or agreement or something [DeSantis] made any public action dependent on donations, contributions, gifts or other items of value.”

MAGA Inc. had also made several claims that DeSantis “probably” took illegal benefits from his book, The Courage to Be Free, including a $2 million advance, royalties from book sales, and speaking engagements related to his book tour.

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Regarding the book tour, the commission said there was nothing alleged to indicate that DeSantis’ book advance was “undeserved or disproportionate to what other public figures in a similar position might receive for the same or similar work.”

“Regarding the allegation that [DeSantis] has solicited or accepted gifts related to the book tour, full details of this allegation are presented speculatively,” the report reads.

The commission also said Budowich failed to describe an “affirmative act or omission” by DeSantis that would constitute an abuse of his public position under the Florida Constitution and would prompt an investigation.

The Ethics Committee dismissed an allegation that DeSantis abused his position “with corrupt intent for self-interest” by “making approximately 15 campaign trips abroad, accompanied by his official security detail, at a reported cost of over $2.4 million.” dollars to Florida taxpayers.”

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“The complaint does not suggest that the provision of any security detail is accurate [DeSantis] when he’s out, is corrupt. There is a public purpose for providing protection services to the governor and his family even when he is traveling,” the report said.

Finally, the commission dismissed claims that DeSantis’ contractual relationships for his book tour were “inconsistent” because they resulted in his being “absent from Florida,” citing the lack of “reasonable factual basis for that allegation.”

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“There is no inherent reason for it [DeSantis]as governor, cannot travel out of state, and the complaint provides no additional information to determine that such travel creates an ongoing or frequently recurring conflict between his private interests and the performance of his public duties,” the commission said.

The ethics complaint was an escalation of Trump’s pre-emptive attacks around the world against DeSantis, who, despite not being a declared candidate, is polls runner-up to Trump in a hypothetical 2024 primary. It was probably doomed from the start, as five of the nine members of the DeSantis ethics committee were appointed.

“It’s hardly surprising that another armed state entity controlled by DeSantis ignores the facts and the law to protect the governor,” Budowich told Fox News Digital. “There is ample evidence that DeSantis is waging an illegal shadow campaign for president and profiting from it at the expense of Florida taxpayers.”

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.