Crist campaign scoffs at Thrasher accusations

Crist campaign spokesman Danny Kanner: "Given Marco Rubio is the candidate in this race who's under federal investigation for failing to report income to the IRS, it's probably best that the party bosses stop playing the same old political games and take a hard look at their own nominee before attacking the one truly independent candidate for U.S. Senate."

It's worth noting that federal investigators were reviewing multiple officials connected to the state GOP credit card scandal and the Ray Sansom scandal. GOP fundraiser Al Hoffman said federal investigators interviewed him and were particularly interested in Crist campaign spending by the party.

Rubio has said no investigator has contacted him about anything, and campaign spokesman Alex Burgos scoffed at the Crist statement: "Everyone knows Charlie Crist will say and do anything to win. Now he's trying to distract attention from the fact that his hand-picked Republican Party chairman has been indicted, his close friend Scott Rothstein is heading to jail, and Charlie Crist sits at the center of all of it."

The Florida Democratic party had demanded the audit be released, but today spokesman Eric Jotkoff took the high road, sort of: "Because today is a day to remember those who lost their lives nine years ago on the tragic day of 9/11/2001, unlike the Rick Scott Republicans who are using today for partisan attacks, we are focused on honoring the first responders and troops who keep Florida safe."

Thrasher to ask party officials to release full forensic audit

Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher has received and reviewed the long awaited forensic audit of party finances under the administration of indicted chairman Jim Greer and will ask party executives next week to make it public, party officials said Monday.

Katie Gordon Betta, RPOF spokesman, said the 50-plus page report by auditors Alston & Bird, includes "nothing they hadn't seen coming,'' she said. Thrasher ordered the report after allegations surfaced that high ranking legislators and staff had misused party credit cards for personal use, misused expense reports and that Greer entered into a secret fundraising contract with former RPOF executive director Delmar Johnson.

Only Thrasher and two others, party CFO Richard Swarttz and executive director Ronnie Whitaker, have reviewed the report, she said. Thrasher will ask party officials to release the report at the Sept. 11 quarterly meeting in Orlando. The discussion will take place behind closed doors, Betta said.

GOP censored Scott response to Thrasher

Florida Republican Chairman John Thrasher sent a message to party faithful titled "Rick Scott" on Sunday night, blasting him (again) for invoking the Jim Greer scandal in the campaign. (See his message below.)

Scott's camp sought to respond, but the party refused to send the message, which says "denying the facts to paint a better picture of Bill McCollum is the wrong way to do it." (Read the whole thing here.)

Party spokeswoman Katie Betta explained the party routinely sends campaign emails to its list. But it also reserves the right to reject those "that contain personal or otherwise inappropriate attacks towards other Republicans." As for the email from Thrasher, which contained some choice words, Betta said the chairman can send what he wants.

McCollum gets sermon on how to 'be nice'

Bill McCollum brought the right person to First Baptist Church in Jacksonville this morning: former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The 2012 White House hopeful received a whooping (for church) standing ovation and pastor Mac Brunson, a person friend, brought him to the stage to share a few words. (By contrast, McCollum received just polite applause when he was introduced.) In his brief remarks, Huckabee didn't mention McCollum but the connection likely stuck.

The lesson of the sermon, however, did not. Brunson spoke about the hurtfulness of criticism and attacks on character. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,” he urged those gathered at the mega-church, citing Ephesians 4:29. “Be nice!”

Moments later, McCollum – and Huckabee, less so – went back on the attack a rally at a GOP office. McCollum scolded rival Rick Scott for trying to buy the election and lying about his own record.

Greer needs money for lawyers, asks Crist for money back

UPDATED: Jim Greer, the indicted former chairman of the state Republican Party, is asking Gov. Charlie Crist to refund $9,600 in campaign contributions made to Crist's U.S. Senate campaign. "As you know circumstances have caused me to need money to defend myself and take care of my family," Greer wrote in a letter to the campaign. "I know sending the money back is hard, but with what has happened it may be politically beneficial for you to do." (Download the letter here.)

The letter goes on to hammer the Republican Party of Florida leaders who helped oust Greer. "The current RPOF leadership, including (gubernatorial candidate Bill) McCollum, (Party Chairman John) Thrasher and many of the state committee members are simply liars, racists, and extremists ... the current bunch that are running the show will stop at nothing to cover for their own misdeeds," it reads.

Thrasher: Blocked vote on drilling not linked to oil industry promises

With word that that the GOP-led legislature is going to prevent a vote on Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal to put an amendment to ban oil drilling on the November ballot, rumors are swirling and accusations hurling that there might be a tidy reward in the fall to RPOF coffers from the oil industry.

For example, Rep. Scott Randolph, an Orlando Democrat, believes Republican House leaders won't take the issue to the floor because "they have taken so much money from offshore drilling and spent it all on their lavish credit card spending'' that they don't want to cancel out the prospect of oil industry drilling in the future.

Republican Party of Florida chairman, and state senator, John Thrasher forcefully denies those allegations. He said he has not personally spoken to any oil lobbyist and the decision not to put the amendment on the ballot has more to do with giving voters time to carefully review the issue than to rush to judgment on the emotional issue now. "Nothing in this special session, as far as I'm concerned, is in anyway linked to any kind of a quid pro quo from the oil industry," he told the Herald/Times.

1 "Republican" Horseman rides to the other's defense

Sen. John Thrasher, RPOF chairman and one of the so-called "Four Horsemen (more here)," ripped Republican Rick Scott for questioning Attorney General Bill McCollum (another horseman and Scott's opponent for governor) for his role in the Jim Greer scandal.

McCollum, like other Republican legislative leaders, long brushed off criticism of Greer's management and pleas that he help oust Greer and initially downplayed the significance of Greer's entering into a little-known fundraising contract. Thrasher suggests otherwise in a statement today that may draw some eye-rolling of those who tried to get McCollum to do something far sooner:

“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. When evidence of the wrongdoing Jim Greer has now been indicted for was presented to us, Attorney General McCollum acted swiftly to refer our findings to the proper authorities.

“Mr. Scott’s 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.”

Greer seeks delay in civil case as new documents emerge

Indicted former GOP Chairman Jim Greer is asking a judge to put his civil lawsuit against the Republican Party of Florida on hold until his criminal case is finished.

Greer sued the party in May after FDLE acknowledged the criminal investigation that led to six felony charges earlier this month ranging from money laundering to organized fraud concerning a secret contract he authorized to skim party contributions to a company he owned. He contends the party never paid him the $124,000 owed under a severance agreement signed by party leaders in exchange for his resignation.

Greer's attorney, Damon Chase of Lake Mary, filed a motion to abate at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Seminole County court. "In as much as Greer's criminal indictment appears more, at least in part, to be the latest attempt in a long line of attempts by RPOF to avoid its obligations under the the severance agreement, Greer respectfully requests this honorable court abate the instant matter until resolution of the criminal matter as opposed to outright dismissing his facially meritorious claim," Chase states in the motion obtained by the Times/Herald.

The documents filed with the court include a number of new details that indicate incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon repeatedly assured Greer that the party would honor the contract even after the interim executive director, Bret Prater, tried to end the deal.

Thrasher: GOP board members questioned in Greer probe

Florida GOP Chairman John Thrasher told reporters Wednesday that the party is cooperating with current investigation that led to Jim Greer's arrest. He said authorities questioned several members of the state's executive committee about Victory Strategies, the political firm controlled by Greer that siphoned party money, but he didn't name names.

Thrasher also repeated claims that the party didn't know about the Victory Strategies agreement between Greer and Delmar Johnson, the former executive director of the party and part-owner in the company who is cooperating with investigators. "I think it clearly was a secret agreement," said Thrasher, who said he didn't know about it until it was reported in the newspapers.

Greer's attorneys have provided drafts of a severance agreement that indicates that party officials knew of it's existence well before the contract was discovered during a routine party audit and presented to authorities on Mar. 15.

Thrasher said he wouldn't sanction Fasano

With the Pasco County GOP filing a complaint against Republican Sen. Mike Fasano for supporting nonpartisan Charlie Crist, Buzz dug through the notebook to find this interview gem with Party Chairman John Thrasher the day before Crist bolted.

At the time, Thrasher said he wouldn't whipsaw Republicans who didn't shun Crist, despite a previous warning about the party's loyalty oath. And he specifically mentioned Fasano:

Mary Ellen Klas, Times/Herald: How about people that do support (Crist). Will there be repercussions within the party if there are Republicans who stay and support him?

Thrasher: No, I don't think of any (repercussions). I think Sen. Fasano said he is probably going to continue to support him. (Fasano) is my friend. I respect what he's doing. That's his choice.

Klas: And you would support Fasano if he choose to run for something in the future?

Thrasher: Sen. Fasano is my friend.

Given this, it doesn't sound likely Fasano will face sanctions.