What did Gov. Charlie Crist know about Jim Greers alleged shenanigans and when did he know it?
And shouldnt the media be looking just as deeply into the fundraising and expenditure records of the Florida Democratic Party?
Allegations of criminal wrongdoing by former state GOP party chairman Greer, and questions about rather minor, reimbursed personal expenditures by other party leaders, continues to keep the Republican Party of Florida in the headlines.
Still more flashing-lights-and-sirens headlines arrived on the scene this week as word got out that Greer is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
That disclosure was quickly followed up with news that Greer filed a lawsuit against the party in an attempt believe it or not -- to recoup a severance package he claims he was promised by party leaders.
What incredible, outrageous egomania drives Greer to think he can engage in activity that may turn out to be criminal, and get paid for it? Does he (or his attorney) think they are somehow going to emerge as sympathetic characters in this tragic drama of greed, power and vengeance?
And then that news was overshadowed by CFO Alex Sink calling for an independent prosecutor to look into the Greer matter a call supported by Crist who forwarded the matter to the U.S. Attorneys office for possible IRS violations.
Lost in this clangor are important questions and answers.
Among the most damning evidence against Greer is apparently the expenditure of $200,000 he paid his executive director, Delmar Johnson, through a private company, Victory Strategies.
Greers attorney was quoted this week saying, Everybody knew about Victory Strategies.
Everybody?
So, what did Crist know about what Greer was up to and when did he know it?
Crist hand-picked Greer to be party chairman in 2007. Greer supported Crists current bid to become a U.S. Senator. Crist also defended keeping Greer as concerns grew stronger within the party about his lavish spending and calls mounted for the chairman to resign.
Would Crist have stood by Greer without first checking whether there was any substance to the (we now know) justified concerns being raised internally?
Crist has yet to explain fully why he continued to support Greer, or to tell what he knew about Greers handling of party funds and the payment to Johnson. Exactly why did the governor back Greer after party insiders wanted him broomed aside out of the legitimate fear that the longer he stayed the greater the problem his eventual departure might causes?
Also lost in the furor is the fact that the Florida Democratic Party months ago offered to let reporters scour through their books, too.
Not only were we willing, we called Jim Greers bluff on that. We invited the media to come and look at [the partys expenditure records]," Eric Jotkoff, the spokesperson for the Democrats, told me recently.
Jotkoff said the media took the party up on the offer in September. But I can find no evidence that the Tallahassee media inspected anything other than the computerized public records anyone might inspect through the Florida Secretary of States office.
Thats all that exists, said Jotkoff.
But the records filed with the state are not the equivalent of the AMEX records that have stirred so much controversy for the GOP.
The Democrats say that they dont use credit cards, so what do they have in their records that would be similar to the credit card statements maintained by the GOP and that have put that partys leaders in a corner?
According to Jotkoff, Democrats work it this way: party leaders spend money and then submit a request for reimbursement that includes receipts, and every reimbursement is authorized personally by party chairwoman Karen Thurman.
So I asked to see the individual requests for reimbursement received by Thurman from leaders in the Democratic Party of Florida and was told by Jotkoff it would take time to pull that stuff thats put in storage.
I said Id be happy to give him time to pull the records and come back later to review them.
Then he told me those records dont exist. But wait a minute, he just told me they did and they were in storage, didnt he?
We dont keep the receipts and I dont know of any that are not legitimate, he added testily.
But isnt it a given in Accounting 101 that reimbursable receipts be maintained for a reasonable period of time? Doesnt the practice help when and if the IRS comes sniffing around?
Speaking of the IRS, what would they say to the Democrats claim that they dont keep records of receipts when party leaders file reimbursement requests?
Contact Publisher John Wark at jwark@sunshinestatenews.com, or at (850) 321-6490.
