Watchdog accuses DeSantis and super PAC of 'illegally' coordinating election spending: report

In a complaint recently filed with the Federal Election Committee, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his super PAC Never Back Down have been accused of violating federal election laws, NBC News reports.

NBC notes the complaint comes one day after the super PAC's chief strategist, Jeff Roe, announced his resignation, which the governor was asked about during a Monday Iowa appearance.

DeSantis said, "It's a separate entity. And so it's just, this stuff just happens. And it's not in my purview."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

The nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center, according to The Associated Press, alleges in the complaint that the GOP leader "broke campaign finance law by communicating about TV spending decisions with" Never Back Down.

"Never PAC has for months coordinated its activities with and made in-kind contributions to DeSantis and his campaign committee, contravening the explicit legal requirement that super PACs must remain 'independent' of — i.e., not coordinate with or make contributions to — federal candidates or their campaigns," the complaint read.

DeSantis' spokesperson Andrew Romeo claims the complaint is "baseless," calling it "just another example of how the Left is terrified of" the governor, according to NBC.

AP reports Campaign Legal Center director of federal campaign finance reform Saurav Ghosh commented, "When a super PAC like Never Back Down illegally coordinates its election spending with a candidate's campaign, the super PAC effectively becomes an arm of the campaign. That circumvents federal contribution limits and reporting requirements, and gives the super PAC’s special interest backers, including corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals, a concerning level of influence over elected officials and policymaking."

READ MORE: More campaign chaos for Ron DeSantis as top strategist abruptly quits