DeSantis chief of staff solicited lobbyists
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ASPartOfMe
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Location: Long Island, New York
10 Jun 2023, 9:17 pm
Ron DeSantis’ top aide organized government staff to solicit campaign cash from lobbyists
Quote:
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff was among the biggest political fundraisers helping launch DeSantis' presidential campaign, an unusual instance of a highly influential taxpayer-funded aide’s doubling as a top political bundler.
And part of the way he raised that money was by having other government officials help him solicit cash from lobbyists.
The move, besides being out of the ordinary, raises ethical questions, and it shocked many of those Republican lobbyists here in Florida’s capital who felt pressured to donate because they have business before the administration. It also underscores the extent to which DeSantis has used the state government to further his ambitions.
The governor’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier, helped raise at least $423,042 for his presidential campaign in the hours after the May 24 launch.
The information came from pictures of a leader board set up for a fundraising event — dubbed the “Ron-A-Rama” — at the Miami Four Seasons in the 48 hours after the campaign kickoff. Two sources who were in the room shared the photos with NBC News.
The event was scheduled to coincide with DeSantis’ campaign launch. By bringing top fundraisers and political bundlers from across the country to Miami, it would give DeSantis’ campaign an early boost of significant financial support.
Uthmeier’s haul made him one of top fundraisers for the campaign at the time. It created a scenario in which he was raising significant six-figure sums of political cash at a faster clip than many more traditional donors and political fundraisers were.
Uthmeier has been DeSantis’ top staffer since September 2021, and like most chiefs of staff, he wields significant influence over every aspect of state government.
Since DeSantis’ launch, Uthmeier has helped orchestrate a political fundraising program within the administration that involved asking administration officials across state government to ask lobbyists by text message to contribute money to DeSantis’ nascent presidential campaign through a specific link.
When a donor gave through the link, the donation was associated with Uthmeier’s name, said people familiar with the messages, which helped make him one of his boss’ top early political bundlers.
Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, defended the use of state employees to raise money for DeSantis' presidential run.
"The Governors' team is 100% behind him in his presidential run, because we know the great work he's accomplished as governor," she said in a statement, responding to questions about Uthmeier's bundling efforts. "If the executive team wants to fundraise, knock doors, or volunteer on their free time, more power to them -- they have First Amendment rights like every American."
She said the office could not keep up with "the media's whiplash" in reporting on DeSantis' presidential efforts.
The arrangement in which taxpayer-funded staffers who work for a governor’s office openly solicit campaign contributions is highly out of the ordinary. Generally, a candidate’s campaign team and fundraisers raise the cash, and the operation is siloed off from government officials.
Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, defended the use of state employees to raise money for DeSantis' presidential run.
"The Governors' team is 100% behind him in his presidential run, because we know the great work he's accomplished as governor," she said in a statement, responding to questions about Uthmeier's bundling efforts. "If the executive team wants to fundraise, knock doors, or volunteer on their free time, more power to them -- they have First Amendment rights like every American."
She said the office could not keep up with "the media's whiplash" in reporting on DeSantis' presidential efforts.
The arrangement in which taxpayer-funded staffers who work for a governor’s office openly solicit campaign contributions is highly out of the ordinary. Generally, a candidate’s campaign team and fundraisers raise the cash, and the operation is siloed off from government officials.
In most cases, however, the bundler is a professional political fundraiser or a lobbyist, not a taxpayer-funded staffer who works for a candidate’s official government office.
And part of the way he raised that money was by having other government officials help him solicit cash from lobbyists.
The move, besides being out of the ordinary, raises ethical questions, and it shocked many of those Republican lobbyists here in Florida’s capital who felt pressured to donate because they have business before the administration. It also underscores the extent to which DeSantis has used the state government to further his ambitions.
The governor’s chief of staff, James Uthmeier, helped raise at least $423,042 for his presidential campaign in the hours after the May 24 launch.
The information came from pictures of a leader board set up for a fundraising event — dubbed the “Ron-A-Rama” — at the Miami Four Seasons in the 48 hours after the campaign kickoff. Two sources who were in the room shared the photos with NBC News.
The event was scheduled to coincide with DeSantis’ campaign launch. By bringing top fundraisers and political bundlers from across the country to Miami, it would give DeSantis’ campaign an early boost of significant financial support.
Uthmeier’s haul made him one of top fundraisers for the campaign at the time. It created a scenario in which he was raising significant six-figure sums of political cash at a faster clip than many more traditional donors and political fundraisers were.
Uthmeier has been DeSantis’ top staffer since September 2021, and like most chiefs of staff, he wields significant influence over every aspect of state government.
Since DeSantis’ launch, Uthmeier has helped orchestrate a political fundraising program within the administration that involved asking administration officials across state government to ask lobbyists by text message to contribute money to DeSantis’ nascent presidential campaign through a specific link.
When a donor gave through the link, the donation was associated with Uthmeier’s name, said people familiar with the messages, which helped make him one of his boss’ top early political bundlers.
Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, defended the use of state employees to raise money for DeSantis' presidential run.
"The Governors' team is 100% behind him in his presidential run, because we know the great work he's accomplished as governor," she said in a statement, responding to questions about Uthmeier's bundling efforts. "If the executive team wants to fundraise, knock doors, or volunteer on their free time, more power to them -- they have First Amendment rights like every American."
She said the office could not keep up with "the media's whiplash" in reporting on DeSantis' presidential efforts.
The arrangement in which taxpayer-funded staffers who work for a governor’s office openly solicit campaign contributions is highly out of the ordinary. Generally, a candidate’s campaign team and fundraisers raise the cash, and the operation is siloed off from government officials.
Taryn Fenske, DeSantis' communications director, defended the use of state employees to raise money for DeSantis' presidential run.
"The Governors' team is 100% behind him in his presidential run, because we know the great work he's accomplished as governor," she said in a statement, responding to questions about Uthmeier's bundling efforts. "If the executive team wants to fundraise, knock doors, or volunteer on their free time, more power to them -- they have First Amendment rights like every American."
She said the office could not keep up with "the media's whiplash" in reporting on DeSantis' presidential efforts.
The arrangement in which taxpayer-funded staffers who work for a governor’s office openly solicit campaign contributions is highly out of the ordinary. Generally, a candidate’s campaign team and fundraisers raise the cash, and the operation is siloed off from government officials.
In most cases, however, the bundler is a professional political fundraiser or a lobbyist, not a taxpayer-funded staffer who works for a candidate’s official government office.
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