Looks like Tallahassee Mayor and gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum has found himself in hot water once more over illegally using his government email for personal and campaign use. On Thursday, the State Attorney’s office officially announced it was opening a probe into the issue.
The investigation comes after the state attorney’s office received a written request from a lobbyist in Jefferson County to look into the matter.
The complainant, Paul Henry of Monticello, asked the state attorney to secure a grand jury for possible charges of grand theft.
“Actions such as these erode public confidence in our government, so it is my hope your office will diligently investigate these allegations,” wrote Henry, a lobbyist for the Liberty First Network and retired Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant.
The state attorney said it would take a peek at the allegations and see if the office could move forward with the charges.
“We are going to review it, investigate it and see if it has sufficient probable cause,” Sheriff Walt McNeil told the Tallahassee Democrat Thursday evening. “And once we’ve completed an investigation, [we’ll] submit it back to the State Attorney’s Office to see if there is sufficient probable cause to indicate that a crime has occurred.”
The request comes after the Democrat reported last week that Gillum had used city tax dollars to blast out emails for his newly-minted gubernatorial campaign.
The news broke the day before Gillum declared he would be running for governor in 2018.
One email included Gillum’s campaign logo and campaign post office box address. Another included an invitation to an event featuring former Vice President Joe Biden in Tallahassee.
According to the Democrat, Gillum's office began using the web-based software in 2016. The city spent nearly $7,000 on the software, which included nearly $5,000 in general fund dollars and almost $2,000 from leftover campaign cash rolled into Gillum's office account. The software gives technology to Democratic and progressive groups which often share email lists with one another.
Last week, Gillum reimbursed the city for nearly $5,000 for the use of the email system. He later apologized for the snafu.
Republican groups have also pounced on the controversy. The Leon County GOP has called for Gillum to resign and the Republican Governors Association trashed Gillum for the botched campaign rollout.
The RGA submitted a request for any and all emails sent to or from anyone associated with Gillum’s campaign website under Florida’s Sunshine Law last week.
Gillum, meanwhile, didn’t seem too fazed by the news.
“While I am certain there are no grounds for further action, I will fully comply with the Sheriff's Office,” he said. “I have apologized for the human error and reimbursed the city for the expense of the software. I look forward to bringing this inquiry to a speedy conclusion."
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
