Trump 2020 Manager Brad Parscale Moves to Washington After Criticism

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, is temporarily relocating to a Northern Virginia apartment near the re-election headquarters after grumbling among some of the president’s allies about his compensation and commitment.

Parscale had been shuttling between campaign offices in the Washington suburb of Rosslyn, Virginia, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he owns both a $2.4 million home and a two-bedroom condo within walking distance of the beach.

The frequent trips home had become fodder for Parscale’s detractors, who complain about the money he’s made from Trump’s campaigns. Parscale hadn’t worked on a national political campaign before Trump’s first run for office, when he served as digital media director.

“It was always the plan to move to DC full-time once the primaries started so that I would spend less time in the air,” Parscale said in a statement. “I’ll return home to Florida after the president is re-elected in November.”

A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, reported Feb. 4 on Federal Election Commission and tax filings that show the Trump campaign and affiliated organizations have paid millions of dollars to ad-buying, data, and consulting firms owned by Parscale. He has denied improperly benefiting from Trump’s re-election bid.

Campaign advisers say the decision to move to Northern Virginia wasn’t demanded by the president, and that the move was primarily driven by Parscale’s desire to spend more time with his wife and two labradoodles, Jackson and Parker, who will relocate with him.

The closer proximity to Trump headquarters will also mean it’s easier for Parscale to attend meetings with the president at the White House. And Parscale, a former college basketball player who the president last week nicknamed “the world’s tallest campaign manager,” has frequent back pain aggravated by air travel.

But the move may also help Parscale quell outside criticism over his spending and travel, some of which has made its way to the president. Trump has in the past queried friends and advisers about Parscale’s compensation from the campaign, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump changed the leadership of his 2016 campaign several times, with Paul Manafort, Corey Lewandowski, and Kellyanne Conway all holding the top post.

Parscale’s company received a percentage from Trump campaign ad purchases in 2016 but he says that’s not the case in 2020. Parscale last year tweeted that he received “no percentage of any ad buys from the campaign” while acknowledging in a statement to the Daily Mail that his associations with Trump had been “extremely beneficial to my family.”

--With assistance from Justin Sink.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum

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