When a document surfaced over late summer foreshadowing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' GOP primary debate strategy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, its origin had been anonymous.
The document told DeSantis “to take a sledgehammer” to rival Vivek Ramaswamy and make sure to "defend Donald Trump" when he's cut down by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and repeatedly "attack Biden and the media."
That mask was lifted after a report confirmed the leak of the play-by-play strategy for the super PAC Trust in the Mission PAC, which had been backing former candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), according to The Bulwark's Marc Caputo.
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"Tim Scott secretly fueled the division — chiefly by discovering and leaking a debate advice memo Jeff Roe clandestinely penned for DeSantis," reads Caputo's report. "It caused major suspicion inside the DeSantis campaign—and between it and the super PAC—about who the leaker was."
The documents peered into the DeSantis gameplay.
“There are four basic must-dos,” one of the memos urges Mr. DeSantis, whom the document refers to as “GRD” according to Axiom Strategies.
“1. Attack Joe Biden and the media 3-5 times. 2. State GRD’s positive vision 2-3 times. 3. Hammer Vivek Ramaswamy in a response. 4. Defend Donald Trump in absentia in response to a Chris Christie attack.”
In his bid to win the GOP candidacy from Trump and company, DeSantis and various super PACs burned through $160 million.
Late January, DeSantis, who lost Iowa, where he had posted stumping in every county and was only pulling single digits in New Hampshire — dropped out of the 2024 presidential contest. He then pledged his support behind the frontrunner and 45th president, Donald Trump.
