Florida student newspaper tracks former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse’s spending on GOP allies [Video]

A story in Tuesday’s edition of the University of Florida’s student newspaper accuses Ben Sasse of more than tripling his office’s spending during his tenure as school president, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies.  

The story in the Independent Florida Alligator says Sasse ballooned spending under the president’s office to $17.3 million in his first year in office — up from $5.6 million in former UF President Kent Fuchs’ last year, according to publicly available administrative budget data.

Messages left Tuesday by The World-Herald seeking comment from Sasse, who resigned his U.S. Senate seat representing Nebraska to take the Florida job, were not immediately returned. 

A majority of the spending surge, according to the Alligator, was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried, remote positions for Sasse’s former U.S. Senate staff and Republican officials. 

The Alligator said Sasse’s consulting contracts have been kept largely …