Governor DeSantis (R-FL) may be considered a leading contender for attention in Florida, but fellow Republican Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) may be giving him a run for his money, if not in the most salubrious manner:
The GOP’s post-election finger-pointing intensified Tuesday, with two senators calling for an audit of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
During a tense, three-hour-long meeting of the Senate GOP Conference, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said there should be an independent review of how the party’s campaign arm spent its resources before falling short of its goal of winning the majority.
Scott responded in a statement issued after this story was first published Wednesday morning, describing taking over the committee two years ago and “immediately” learning that previous staffers had been paid “hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized and improper bonuses.”
Kevin McLaughlin, the executive director of the NRSC during the 2020 election cycle under then-Chairman Todd Young (R-Ind.), said in response: “This is what children do when they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They lash out. Obviously this is crazy and we welcome a full audit.” [Politico]
Some sort of corruption going on? Sure. But if it gets a Republican Senator marched off to jail, it may emphasize the point to many independents that the Republicans seem to be a different breed from the Democrats. Here we’re talking about Senators Young (R-IN) and Scott (R-FL), and if either broke the law, we may see a special election called for the guilty party.
What are the odds of a special election in Florida’s future due to corruption? Very small. The audit may detect misbehavior, but it may not rise to the level of actual criminality. Or a prosecutor might be overwhelmed by the position of whoever’s at fault.
But it’s worth contemplating. Even without criminal charges, the revelation may be enough to drive moderates away from the Republicans.
