TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Washington watchdog group is accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis and his state fundraising group, Friends of Ron DeSantis, of illegally directing money toward a separate federal group that is supporting DeSantis’ presidential candidacy.

What You Need To Know

  • A watchdog group is accusing Ron DeSantis of campaign finance violation

  • The group filed a complaint alleging 'soft money,' and is urging an investigation

  • Soft money is the transfer of state campaign dollars into a federal campaign effort

  • Soft money skirts federal oversight laws

The Campaign Legal Center is citing a New York Times report, which claims the state political action committee directed or transferred $80 million toward the federal super PAC, Never Back Down.

The Center, a non-partisan group, rebuked the alleged money transfer as a “soft money” maneuver, as it allows the money to enter the presidential race without federal regulation and oversight. Such a move, the group says, violates the Federal Election Campaign Act, a roughly 20-year-old law designed to prevent corruption and promote transparency. 

“Soft money undermines federal campaign finance laws because it is, by definition, money raised and spent outside the scope of those laws,” said Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at Campaign Legal Center. “We’re talking about funds from billionaires and corporate special interests who could exert massive influence over the candidate they are financing.”

The Center has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), urging them to investigate the reported transaction. The FEC, however, is not required to disclose ongoing investigations. Ghosh warns that such inquiries take time and sometimes result in gridlock among regulators. 

“We think it's important to at least establish the legal principle and see the law enforced here, even if that mostly has an effect on future elections,” said Ghosh, adding that an FEC decision may come after the 2024 election.

DeSantis, meanwhile, has yet to address the allegation. The leadership of DeSantis’ state committee did not reply to requests for comment on this story.