Following a report that he directed millions into consulting contracts and high-paying positions for former GOP allies while president of the University of Florida, Ben Sasse responded by saying the spending was necessary for his “go bigger” approach.
After the Independent Florida Alligator published an article Tuesday reporting that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions, the former U.S. senator for Nebraska defended the hirings in a lengthy statement posted Friday on X.
Sasse said the hirings and consulting contracts were necessary as UF worked to launch new satellite campuses and K-12 charter schools across the state and expand its work with artificial intelligence and the fields of science, technology and medicine.
“Yes, I persuaded almost a dozen folks who had worked with me in one or more of my last three jobs, both in and out of politics, to join in this important work — as basically all arriving CEOs do,” Sasse …