In recent days, super PACs associated with DeSantis and NIKKI HALEY have singled out Scott for criticism. Operatives in multiple campaigns, we’re told, are beefing up their oppo files on the senator, and some briefed Playbook in recent days about the likely lines of attack. “He’s never really had a real challenger in terms of a serious primary or general, so in that sense he’s pretty unvetted,” said one ally of a rival candidate. “The scrutiny will come.” Yes, there are reasons to doubt it will fundamentally alter Scott’s trajectory. The underlying material has already, by and large, been publicly documented. And none of his rivals have so far been willing to go on the record taking a punch at the man who’s become the Mr. Congeniality of the 2024 field, let alone spend money to amplify the attacks.
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Another episode ripe for campaign scrutiny surrounds Scott’s effort to secure a pardon for his cousin, OTIS GORDON, who served six years in federal prison after a 1991 drug conspiracy conviction. Questions were raised about the propriety of Scott seeking a pardon, which Trump granted in 2020, for a blood relative who also worked on his campaigns.
