Shortly after former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer was arrested Wednesday morning, a flurry of candidates for office and other state political leaders reacted by releasing statements to the media: Here are excerpts from a few of those statements:
We are grateful to Attorney General Bill McCollum for referring this matter to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and to the FDLE for conducting a thorough investigation. We will continue to cooperate with investigators throughout the prosecution of this case, and we look forward to justice being served.
-- John Thrasher, chairman, Republican Party of Florida
"Gov. Crist is trying to walk away from his Republican past, but that past will forever haunt him, especially on days like today. The governor expects a free pass and will claim ignorance and innocence, but those statements will not stand. It was Gov. Crist who handpicked Jim Greer to lead his Republican Party, and it was Charlie Crist who stood by his fellow Republican Jim Greer until the bitter end. No amount of Crist revisionist history can whitewash that truth. Speaker Marco Rubio was a beneficiary of this Republican excess, as were many members of the party's leadership.
-- Adam Sharon, communications director for Democrat Kendrick Meek for Floridas U.S. Senate campaign
The charges against Charlie Crists hand-picked party chair are disturbing to say the least. It was only months ago that Crist asked Jim Greer not to resign and stay on as party chair. The culture of corruption that has become synonymous with politics must come to an end.
The three career politicians in this race have proved they are either clueless victims or worse, co-conspirators in a corrupt political system that needs to change. The nerve of these three politicians to ask for a promotion, when these scandals should be all the evidence voters need to disqualify all three of them from running for office.
-- Jeff Greene, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Florida
Twelve weeks ago I asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to commence a criminal investigation into former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer and his misuse of finances at the Party. The investigation has resulted in the arrest of Mr. Greer on six felony charges including money laundering, grand theft and engineering an organized scheme to defraud the Republican Party of Florida and its membership.
I commend Commissioner Gerald Bailey, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Statewide Grand Jury for their thorough work on this
investigation.
-- Attorney General Bill McCollum, candidate for Florida governor
"Today, with disgraced Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer's arrest, Floridians see once again why a change of leadership is so desperately needed in Tallahassee.
"While Greer was Gov. Charlie Crist's handpicked Republican Chairman, Bill McCollum was Jim Greer's handpicked gubernatorial candidate. A fact Bill McCollum was happy to tout at the time, but now is trying to conveniently forget.
"Now, with disgraced Republican Speaker Ray Sansom under indictment, Former Republican Party Chair Jim Greer under arrest, and most of the Republican leadership in Florida, including Crist and Speaker Marco Rubio, under criminal investigation, Floridians are forced to watch the car wreck that has become the Republican Party of Florida and wonder which GOP party boss or elected official will be taken off in handcuffs next.
"Sadly, these are not victimless crimes. The victims here are the citizens of this great state.
-- Karen Thurman, Florida Democratic Party
"It has become increasingly clear that Jim Greer abused his power as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. I commend Chairman Thrasher for taking decisive action, handing these issues over to the appropriate authorities, and beginning to restore the trust of grassroots supporters and donors."
-- Florida House Speaker-Designate Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park
