Donald Trump's feud with Ron DeSantis heats up after ethics complaint

Tallahassee, Florida - A Donald Trump-supporting Super PAC has filed an ethics complaint against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, taking the rivalry between the two up a notch or two.

A pro-Donald Trump Super PAC called Make America Great Again Inc. has filed an ethics complaint against governor Ron DeSantis, requesting he be suspended from office.
A pro-Donald Trump Super PAC called Make America Great Again Inc. has filed an ethics complaint against governor Ron DeSantis, requesting he be suspended from office.  © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire & MediaPunch

On Wednesday, the Make America Great Again Inc. PAC filed a 15-page complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics, calling for a probe into whether DeSantis' recent political activity has been in violation of state law.

The filing accuses the governor of running a "shadow presidential campaign" while using his book tour and campaign contributions to serve "his personal political objectives" and "personal financial gain at the expense of Florida taxpayers."

The complaint requests that the committee to either suspended him from office, publicly censure him, or hit him with a fine.

Harris backed by Liz Cheney at Wisconsin rally as Trump lies about Hurricane Helene response
Kamala Harris Harris backed by Liz Cheney at Wisconsin rally as Trump lies about Hurricane Helene response

Trump ramps up attacks on DeSantis

Trump has at times faced similar criticism for raising and spending money before officially announcing a candidacy, which violates federal campaign laws.

Since Trump announced in November his bid for president in 2024, he has progressively ramped up his attacks on the governor, doing everything from criticizing his policies to making up bizarre nicknames for him and even accused him of pedophilia.

While DeSantis has yet to join the race himself, he is seen by many as the best competitor for Trump in the Republican primaries, but, at the moment, the former president still leads heavily in the polls.

Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, dismissed the complaint in a statement to The Associated Press, stating, "Adding this to the list of frivolous and politically motivated attacks. It's inappropriate to use state ethics complaints for partisan purposes."

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire & MediaPunch

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