Freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., released a new radio ad in Spanish on Thursday in which he hits Republican foe Miami-Dade School Board member Carlos Curbelos lobbying background.
When the Castro regime took over, Joe Garcias grandmother had the courage to leave Cuba to protect her family, the narrator says in translation.
She taught Joe Garcia to do whats right, no matter what. So, when the president threatened to cut Medicare, Joe Garcia worked with both parties to protect those benefits because it was the right thing to do for South Florida," the narrator continued. "But Carlos Curbelo is just out for himself. Carlos Curbelo takes money from tea party backers and wants to end the Medicare guarantee, hurting seniors. Now we learn that Carlos Curbelo has a lobbying firm and hes hiding the firms client list from us.
This message resonates deeply with our South Florida community, insisted Miguel Salazar, a spokesman for Garcia. Rep. Joe Garcia grew up hearing the stories of how his grandmother challenged communism in Cuba.
He was taught to always stand up for his own, to always be courageous, Salazar added. In Congress, he has done just that, fighting to protect coverage for seniors and putting South Florida before politics.
The Florida Democratic Party upped the ante on Thursday afternoon as it filed a criminal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding Curbelo's lobbying background, insisting he has made contradictory claims about his role with his Capitol Gains firm.
But Curbelo and his allies pointed toward Garcias own problems, including a front page story in Thursdays Miami Herald about the continued legal troubles of Jeffrey Garcia, the congressmans former chief of staff. Jeffrey Garcia, who is not related to the congressman, is facing a federal investigation over electoral fraud from the 2012 election when the Democrat defeated U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla.
The FBI is intensifying its investigation of a straw candidate recruited and -- very likely -- illegally financed by Joe Garcia's campaign, Curbelo pointed out on Thursday. This is all part of the political circus created by Joe Garcia and others which has already landed three people in jail. Politicians like Joe Garcia seem to be willing to do anything to get elected. His recklessness has brought shame and embarrassment upon the residents of Congressional District 26 in South Florida.
Despite the culture of corruption surrounding Joe Garcia, Nancy Pelosi and her allies are pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars to prop up this deeply flawed candidate whose legal troubles will only get worse in the coming weeks, Curbelo added.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) piled on Garcia, taking a swing at him on ethics.
Congressman Joe Garcias criminal past is catching up with him and it wouldnt be surprising if Garcia was hauled into federal court before the November election, said Katie Prill, a spokeswoman for the NRCC. The latest news of Garcias campaign staff being subpoenaed is not only shocking but also very troubling. At this point, Joe Garcia needs to come clean about his role in this straw candidate scheme and do South Florida families a favor by not running for re-election this fall.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
