Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was “livid” after a super PAC supporting the Republican presidential candidate leaked a debate-prep memo along with other sensitive campaign material on its website, The New York Times reports.
Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman write for The Times that DeSantis “erupted over the revelation, according to people told of his reaction, even though the posting of the documents online was meant to avoid running afoul of campaign finance rules. The advice memo, pilloried as 'amateurish' within his extended orbit, was quickly taken down, along with the other documents, but the damage had been done. If he followed the advice laid out — including which rivals to hit — he would look like a puppet.”
DeSantis has distanced himself from the leaked material.
POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?
“I didn’t do it,” the Florida governor said at a campaign event over the weekend, according to the report.
“I didn’t read it. It’s not going to influence what I do.”
The leak is described in the report as “a self-inflicted wound by the broader DeSantis team that capped two months of difficulties for the Florida governor that have included dropping poll numbers, a new campaign manager and staff cutbacks.”
It’s against that backdrop that DeSantis enters Wednesday night’s debate looking to make up for lost ground.
“This is a big moment for him, but he’s going to rise to it,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a DeSantis supporter, said of the Florida governor.
