Looks like one or more Republican rivals have been doing some oppo research on Bootsie, trying to make him the next Clarence Thomas:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took at least six undisclosed trips on private jets and accepted lodging and dining in late 2018, according to flight manifests, tracking data and other documents obtained by The Washington Post that reflect his proclivity for luxury travel and leisure time with wealthy donors.
The trips came during the period between DeSantis’s election and inauguration as governor. On one, DeSantis traveled to the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club on a plane owned by Mori Hosseini, a major home builder who supplied a golf simulator in the governor’s mansion and later benefited from $92 million in federal pandemic funding that the DeSantis administration steered to a highway interchange project he sought. DeSantis took four other flights on a plane that was registered at the time to John Cwik, another DeSantis donor, records show.
DeSantis did not report the flights or accommodations as gifts or campaign contributions and it’s unclear whether he used a separate legal option to personally reimburse for the flights at the cost of coach airfare. A DeSantis spokesman said he complied with regulations but declined to specify how the costs of the trips were paid or how they met ethics and disclosure requirements. [snip]
The undisclosed trips, which have not been previously reported, reflect how DeSantis fueled his political rise through close bonds with rich patrons and had a taste for luxury travel, in contrast to his campaign’s portrayal of DeSantis’s humble blue-collar roots and aversion to moneyed interests. His preference for private jet travel has continued into his White House bid, even as his campaign has struggled to rein in spending. In an unusual arrangement, the campaign is sharing some costs for private plane travel with the super PAC supporting him. [snip]
Searches of state campaign finance disclosures by DeSantis’s campaign, his affiliated political action committee and the Florida Republican Party did not produce any records of donations or expenditures corresponding to the private flights documented in the records obtained by The Post. In other instances later in his administration, DeSantis’s private flights were disclosed as in-kind contributions to his PAC or the state GOP. The state GOP did not respond to a request for comment.
The state disclosure requirement contains an exception for some relatives but not for friends. The Ethics Commission has repeatedly determined that free flights on private planes count as gifts, according to Caroline Klancke, a former commission general counsel and deputy executive director. State law provides penalties including fines of $10,000 per violation of the gift rules and Klancke said DeSantis’s actions could prompt further scrutiny.
While state rules generally value gifts at the “actual cost to the donor,” they allow the value of private jet travel to be “given the same value as an unrestricted coach fare.” Valuing lodging and golf rounds that are not generally available to the public would be more complicated, Klancke said...
Looks like Bootsie already has a leaker in mind:
[DeSantis campaign spokesman Andrew] Romeo called this story “Trump-legacy media collusion” and claimed DeSantis has the best chance to defeat President Biden. “Ron DeSantis has always fought back against the establishment and won, and this election will be no different,” Romeo said. (our emphasis)
It almost --almost -- seems unnecessary to pile onto Bootsie at this juncture, given his increasing irrelevancy in the race to deny the cult leader the Republican/ MAGA/ Christofascist nomination. But, we enjoy the spectacle of these rats dirtying each other up as much as anyone, so leak away!
(Photo: ethically challenged Clarence Thomas and Bootsie / Octavio Jones, Tampa Bay Times)
