Florida state-level political action committee Empower Parents PAC, which supported Governor Ron DeSantis’s 2022 gubernatorial reelection campaign, has raised eyebrows after it took $82.5 million in campaign dollars, and transferred the sum to DeSantis’s Never Back Down presidential PAC.
Activists and supporters of President Donald Trump see the transfer of funds between the two political action committees as “fraudulent fundraising tactics.”
Conservative journalist and Trump for President influencer Laura Loomer, who has recently tangled with DeSantis for President staffer Christina Pushaw on Twitter, tweeted that anyone who donated to DeSantis 2022 reelection campaign “should ask his treasurer for refunds.”
"Donors who gave @RonDeSantis money for his gubernatorial re-election should ask his treasurer for refunds. This is fraudulent fundraising tactics. DeSantis solicited over $100 MILLION in campaign donations that were left over after his 2022 re-election and now he’s using that money to go after President Trump. $82.5 million was just transferred from DeSantis’s Gubernatorial committee to his Presidential PAC. Beyond shady and unethical. Trump voters who donated to @GovRonDeSantis for 2022 should file a lawsuit against Ron DeSantis for fraudulent fundraising tactics and should immediately ask for a REFUND. If enough people ask him for refunds, his donor platform will shut him down for fraud. Fundraising platforms only tolerate so many requests for refunds before they drop clients," stated Loomer.
Donors who gave @RonDeSantis money for his gubernatorial re-election should ask his treasurer for refunds. This is fraudulent fundraising tactics. DeSantis solicited over $100 MILLION in campaign donations that were left over after his 2022 re-election and now he’s using that… https://t.co/8NBitFsPma
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) June 14, 2023
Loomer’s remark brings up the question of whether this fundraising practice is ethical, because according to a FEC attorney based in Tallahassee, who asked that we conceal his identity, the tactic is legal, but that the DeSantis campaign is “pushing it” as far to the edge as they can.
We will refer to him as Attorney X.
“They are following the letter of the law, but they are pushing it,” said Attorney X, who believes the tactic is “clever.” “You won't see any investigation into this because it is legal.”
Because the DeSantis campaign is perceived to be blurring FEC rules and ethics lines, Attorney X believes that there is no standing for a legal case against the campaign, and that he expects watch dog groups to sink their teeth into the transfer of funds, but that’s it.
“You won't see any investigation into this because it is legal. You are going to see ethics watchdogs questioning if this is right. There is no law that says you can't do it, but there are laws that say generally speaking you can. To me its clever,” he concluded. “There is no law. Campaign finance is all based on FEC opinions. Neither party is going to give the other one the advantage by passing a law, so there is no law. It’s a policy question.”
But while Attorney X believes that the $82.5 million PAC transfer is legal, he believes a legal complaint could be filed by donors who feel betrayed, and who want their donations refunded.
