Ousted Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer calls them "the four horsemen." But Bill McCollum, Mike Haridopolos, Dean Cannon and John Thrasher do not appear on the prosecution's witness list.
While Gov. Charlie Crist is named 62 times in the investigative report on Greer and could be called as a witness by both the prosecution and the defense, the four top Republicans are nowhere to be found.
Greer attorney Cheney Mason maintains that the GOP brass "knew" about Greer's Victory Strategies agreement with the state party, and he questioned why top party leaders were not named or interrogated in the statewide prosecutor's investigation.
Greer has been charged with fraud and money laundering in connection with the private consulting group he had formed. Then-party Executive Director Delmar Johnson was Greer's business partner in the firm, Victory Strategies, and is cooperating with the investigation.
In a lengthy conversation he secretly recorded for investigators, Johnson told Greer:
"McCollum played a much bigger role behind the scenes, I think, than we realized. I mean, going back to the beginning when he called the governor and said that he wanted to get rid of you. So I think -- but he wouldn't do so publicly."
In exchange for his cooperation, Johnson will not face prison time, authorities said.
Mason said Monday he would file a motion to disqualify prosecutor William Shepherd, contending that Shepherd's office is compromised by its institutional relationship to the attorney general's office.
The Greer legal team's allegations were amplified by Rick Scott, McCollum's Republican rival in the gubernatorial primary.
"Florida voters deserve to know more about Bill McCollum's behind-the-scenes role in negotiating his political kingmaker's severance package and cover-up," Scott's campaign charged. "Was Bill McCollum questioned, and if not, was it because of his position as attorney general?"
Similar questions could apply to Haridopolos, the Senate president designate; Cannon, the House speaker designate; and Thrasher, who succeeded Greer as party chairman.
Neither Haridopolos nor Cannon has commented on the situation. A party spokesman called Greer's accusations "disingenuous."
McCollum spokeswoman Sandi Copes said Shepherd's investigation is independent, adding that the attorney general "has no objections to any appropriate investigatory authority reviewing this matter."
Thrasher said McCollum "acted decisively and appropriately in turning the information over to the statewide prosecutor" after a party audit revealedpossible illegal activity.
Late Tuesday, Thrasher issued a statement rebutting Scott:
Attorney General McCollum, Speaker-designate Cannon, Senate President-designate Haridopolos and I stood up to Governor Crist and worked to remove Jim Greer as chairman because of his mismanagement of the party.
Mr. Scotts repeated attacks on Attorney General McCollum, Dean Cannon and Mike Haridopolos are not based in truth and come straight from Jim Greer's talking points.
"I'm hopeful Rick Scott will begin to lay out a positive message for why he is running for the Republican nomination to be our next governor, instead of continuing to release false statements regarding fellow Republicans.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341.
