Two House Republicans who were involved with debate preparation for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during his 2018 campaign denounced the leak of debate preparation videos Sunday in a pair of tweets.
Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who have already enthusiastically said they support Donald Trump for president, said the leaked footage released by ABC News is an example of political petty
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Two Republican congressmen have denounced a leak of Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ debate preparation videos from his 2018 campaign. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
“I ran the Desantis Debate Prep in 2018,” Gaetz tweeted. “While I prefer Trump for president (by a large margin), the release of these videos by the person operating the camera is disloyal hacking that I do not condone. The employees who leak the candidates they worked for deserve the reputation they have.”
“I was on the DeSantis Debate prep team,” Donalds said. “Those tapes shouldn’t have been leaked. It’s low class.”
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Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., called DeSantis’ leak “low class.” (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The tapes leaked to ABC show DeSantis questioning how to voice his differences with then-President Trump without angering his base — a possible preview of the Florida governor’s expected 2024 presidential bid against Trump.
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Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., called the leaked tapes “disloyal piracy.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images)
“Is there anything on which you disagree with President Trump?” Gaetz asked DeSantis in a mock gubernatorial debate.
“I have to figure out how to do that,” DeSantis replied.
“Obviously there is because, I mean, I voted against him in Congress,” DeSantis continued. “I have to frame it in a way that won’t piss off all of his voters.”
Dave Abrams, a spokesman for DeSantis’ political team, dismissed the leak in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Another swing and miss from Disney-funded ABC,” Abrams said. “The best their propaganda machine could do with the 2.5 hours of leaked material is beyond [proof] that Ron DeSantis doesn’t want to be anyone but his true self, regardless of politics.”
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DeSantis said on the tapes that he would make it clear that he supports Trump’s agenda. The then-rep won Trump’s endorsement for his gubernatorial bid.
“If I have a disagreement, I talk to him privately,” he said.
Hanna Panreck of Fox News contributed to this report.
Patrick Hauf is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
