via @DavidOvalle305
Prosecutors won’t be charging state Senate candidate Andrew Korge over allegations that he offered a $25,000 “bribe” to an opponent to switch races.
The reason: Korge and his consultants insisted the figure wasn’t supposed to be any kind of direct payment, but a target amount of money he would help fundraise for Dwight Bullard.
“Korge indicated that he desired to assist Bullard for the betterment of the Democratic Party’s goals and mission,” according to a final report on the investigation released Thursday by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
Korge’s claim was bolstered by text messages that showed Bullard, weeks earlier, had asked for help from Korge in fundraising, according to the report.
“I’m thrilled the State Attorney’s office has cleared me of any wrongdoing,” Korge said Thursday night. “I’m going to continue to be focused on this campaign.”
The report ends a strange side story to the race for the District 40 seat, which pits Korge against Bullard and Missalys Perez in Tuesday’s primary race. Former State Rep. Ana Rivas Logan is also on the primary ballot, although she suspended her campaign.
The winner will take on Republican State Rep. Frank Artiles in November.
Korge, the son of prominent Democratic fundraiser Chris Korge, is a political newcomer who has dismayed some politicians with his aggressive tactics. He has switched campaigns several times in the past 15 months, drawing criticism for “shopping” for a favorable seat he could win.
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