Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has accepted compromised campaign funds from China, weakening his “tough stance” against the US’s top geopolitical foe, the Miami Herald reports.
Many expect Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to announce his presidential bid in the next weeks or months. Speaking here on November 19, 2022, at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas. (Source: NPR)
DeSantis No Chinese Backer
The front cover of Monday’s edition of The Miami Herald was quite striking, with the headline “DeSantis’ Secret Chinese Backer.” The article raises concerns about DeSantis accepting campaign contributions from iGas CEO Ben Meng and other employees, as a Chinese corporation holds a significant stake in the company. It appears that Meng and other executives have been engaging in political spending since the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act was signed in 2020 by former President Trump. This act aims to phase out the import of certain refrigerants from China, which iGas deals with. The allegations presented by The Herald are particularly noteworthy as they have surfaced during a period in which DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who are both potential Republican presidential candidates, are engaged in a public disagreement regarding their connections to China. It’s worth noting that Haley’s campaign has drawn attention to The Herald’s article.
The notion that Meng and his colleagues’ contributions to DeSantis make his speech hypocritical appears unlikely. The false claim that DeSantis has a “secret Chinese backer” is outrageous. Chinese immigrant and American citizen Meng has freely discussed his family’s Cultural Revolution trauma. His political contributions to DeSantis and others are public. The Herald found no evidence that DeSantis tried to hide iGas executives’ donations or acted in their favor. The Herald found that three Republican congressmen pressured the EPA to establish iGas-friendly guidelines. The Herald focused on DeSantis rather than those backbenchers to attract attention to it and hurt his candidacy. DeSantis may be criticized on this front, but without evidence of policymaking favoring iGas or the Chinese government, he was barely mentioned in this story.
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