Controversy Clouds Political Prospects of Casey DeSantis

In a different political universe, Ron and Casey DeSantis would be thriving right now. Instead, national voters soundly rejected the Florida governor as a presidential candidate, and the first lady's hopes of succeeding her husband as governor are in jeopardy over a $10 million controversy tied to her charity. Details:

• The money: The controversy stems from $10 million received by the Hope Florida Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising arm of Casey DeSantis' Hope Florida charity, reports the New York Times. The charity is a faith-based initiative designed to help people get off welfare, and it's seen as the first lady's signature issue. The money then got funneled to two political groups that helped the governor and his allies defeat a ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana.

• The money, II: The $10 million came from a settlement with the Medicaid contractor Centene after it admitted to overbilling the state. The details get weedy, with the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times the first to report on it. The first line of the investigation: "The $10 million that Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration diverted to a state-created charity last year consisted of Medicaid dollars owed to state and federal taxpayers, contrary to what the governor and other officials have publicly asserted." The AP has a timeline on all this.
• A key point: The governor insists the controversy is "all politics," and he and his wife deny any wrongdoing. But what's notable is that fellow Republican lawmakers were the ones to launch an investigation into whether the flow of money was illegal, notes CNN. It's a "striking sign of DeSantis' eroding clout in a state capital he once controlled with unchallenged authority," writes Steve Contorno.
• Trump factor: If Casey DeSantis were to run for governor, she would face a challenger backed by President Trump in Rep. Byron Reynolds. CNN reports she and the governor have been privately meeting with members of the Trump family (Casey DeSantis golfed with the president) to try to keep his involvement in a potential gubernatorial campaign limited.
• Bottom line: "The Hope Florida hearings have to play a role into her decision to run," one Florida Republican operative tells the Hill. "It is her signature achievement that's being attacked and called corrupt. This is a sign of things to come if she decides to enter the race. It has to give her pause."

(More Casey DeSantis stories.)