Bought and Paid for: Iowa Evangelical Admits to Receiving $95k Payment Before Endorsing Ron DeSantis

Breitbart ^ | 22 Nov 2023 | HANNAH BLEAU KNUDSEN

[SoConPubbie]

A top evangelical leader in Iowa, Bob Vander Plaats, confirmed Tuesday that his organization received $95,000 from what Reuters originally described as the “DeSantis campaign, a super PAC linked to him and a nonprofit group” before he endorsed the governor’s presidential election.

Fox News’s Bret Baier questioned Vander Plaats on the report, which asserts that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) campaign and groups associated with him gave a total of $95,000 to the nonprofit, the Family Leader Foundation, which Vander Plaats heads up. At the time, Reuters pointed to campaign finance reports “and a document prepared by an Iowa state lawmaker who was helping the Vander Plaats organization raise money for a July 14 presidential candidate forum.”

“Well, it’s definitely true,” Vander Plaats told Baier, encouraging “everybody to read the Reuters article.”

“Everything we do is above board,” he added.

BREAKING: Iowa evangelical leader admits he was paid by the DeSantis Team prior to his endorsement pic.twitter.com/EoVmMPLe1y

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 21, 2023

According to the August Reuters article, “DeSantis and supporting groups got three pages of advertisements in a booklet distributed at the July forum attended by 2,000 Christian conservatives, and tickets to the summit, lunch and an after-dinner event.”

At the time, Vander Plaats dismissed the so-called fees, describing them as “not even close to exorbitant” for the prime opportunity to be involved at a forum of that caliber.

“My only regret is that we probably should have charged more,” he said, as the DeSantis campaign spun the $95,000 as a sponsorship of sorts.

DeSantis spokesperson Andrew Romeo expressed pride in the campaign sponsoring “an ad with one of the largest and most effective social conservative groups in the state of Iowa.”

[tinamina]

I hope he doesn’t have a congregation left. What a phoney

[jacknhoo]

I wonder how much Ted Cruz paid him?

[Nervous Tick]

>> A religious leader was paid for his endorsement?

“It’s not prostitution, silly! You give me money because you *like* me. And I endorse you because I like *you*. (giggle)”

[Nervous Tick]

>> All candidates had the same opportunity.

So what you’re saying is, if (say) Nimrata Haley had thrown a hundred and ten thousand dollars at Elmer Gantry oops I mean Van Der Plaats, then Gantry ...sorry, Van Der Platz would have endorsed Haley?

[SunkenCiv]

• 'Iowa Caucus kingmaker' endorses 'bold and courageous' Ron DeSantis for president [11/22/2023]
• Ron DeSantis and his backers paid $95,000 to an Iowa religious leader's group - Bob Vander Plaats [11/23/2023]
• Head of Ron DeSantis Super PAC steps down following internal turmoil among the Florida governor's top allies - and after two strategists nearly got into a brawl [11/22/2023]

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