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This is a tailored piece August 16 “Everything with Chris Hayes” series.
Remember Ben Sasse?
The Republican senator from Nebraska was first re-elected in 2014 In 2016, he demonstrated that he did not vote for Donald Trump and established himself as a Trump critic within the party.
Nevertheless, during his time in the Senate, he anyway, he voted for the then president’s agenda — his vote to cut taxes and declare a “national emergency” so Trump can divert money from the military to build his border wall. Sasse was among those who voted against hearing witnesses in Trump’s first impeachment 52 Republican senators acquitted the ex-president.
When faced with a major challenge in 2020, Sasse even received support from Trump, the man he once compared white supremacist David Duke. The senator won re-election.
Sasse even received support from Trump, a man he once compared to white racist David Duke.
But less than two years into his second term He resigned to serve as president of the University of Florida. Then, in July, just 18 months after starting this job, Sasse announced his resignation. He cited his wife’s ongoing medical struggles, including a recent diagnosis of epilepsy.
On Monday, the university’s student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, published a report About Sasse’s brief tenure as UF president.
According to documents obtained by Alligator, which have not been seen or independently verified by NBC News, Sasse hired a number of former Senate staffers and allies to high-paying positions at the university. Some even worked “remotely” from Washington
The newspaper also reported that during Sasse’s first year at the University of Florida, expenses for the president’s office more than tripled. According to Alligator, the school’s previous president, Kent Fuchsspent 5.6 million dollars in the last year of studying at the university. Sasse spent $17.3 million in his first year as president.
Travel expenses also reportedly increased rapidly during Sasse’s tenure. Fuch’s average annual travel expenses were just $28,000. Sasse’s office spent more than 20 times that amount, spending just $633,000 in his first fiscal year with the school.
Fuch’s average annual travel expenses were just $28,000. Sasse’s office spent more than 20 times that amount, spending just $633,000 in his first fiscal year with the school.
NBC News reached out to the University of Florida but did not hear back. The university told Alligator that “Sasse’s budget expansion” has gone through the appropriate approval process.
on Friday, In a statement sent to X, Sasse responded to the report, saying it was “not true” and that there had been no “improper spending” during his tenure as president:
“Now, it’s true, there’s been enough funding for a number of important new initiatives. I’m thrilled to be championing each and every one of them…Representing the salt-of-the-earth people of my home state of Nebraska is exactly why higher education needs major reform.” “.
Florida State’s chief financial officer has now called on the University of Florida to investigate what he called Sasse’s “exorbitant spending”.
The DeSantis administration he also says that he talked about it with the university administration.
“We take the management of public funds very seriously and have already had discussions with the university administration and (the public university system’s) Board of Governors to investigate the matter.” DeSantis speaksperson Bryan Griffin said in a statement.
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Allison Detzel contributed.