Posted on 04/21/2010 2:35:23 PM PDT by freespirited
The Internal Revenue Service has opened a "primary" investigation into the tax records of three former Florida GOP officials, including GOP Senate candidate Marco Rubio, the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald jointly report.
The investigation has not been publicly confirmed, and Rubio's campaign adviser told the Times that no federal investigators have contacted Rubio.
Nevertheless, the reported investigation puts new scrutiny on the former Florida House Speaker just as speculation mounts that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will run for the Senate as an independent, leaving the GOP nomination for Rubio, who is far ahead in the polls.
The IRS is investigating expenses that Rubio and two other officials, ex-state party chairman Jim Greer and ex-party executive director Delmar Johnson, put on the American Express cards issued to them by the Republican Party of Florida, the newspapers report. Investigators are reportedly looking into whether Rubio and the others used their GOP credit cards for personal expenses without reporting or paying taxes on additional income.
The newspapers reported earlier that Rubio charged more than $100,000 to his GOP credit card during his two years as House speaker for expenses including grocery bills and plane tickets for his wife. Rubio released a statement saying that his expenses were for "legitimate political purposes." "When I made personal charges, I paid for them directly to American Express," the statement said. "I have not been contacted and don't know anything about any potential inquiries, but I welcome the chance to set the record straight once and for all."
Crist has zeroed in on the expenses put on Rubio's credit card, charging that he used party money inappropriately.
"He's trying to pawn himself off as a fiscal conservative," Crist said in March. "And yet just in reason weeks, two weeks ago it has come out in news accounts he had a Republican Party of Florida credit card that he charged $130 haircut, or maybe it was a back wax." (There is no evidence that Rubio got a "back wax.")
Meanwhile, the Herald and the Times report, the IRS, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tallahassee have launched a separate criminal investigation into the use of Florida GOP Party credit cards. Former House Speaker Ray Sansom and others could reportedly face charges of tax evasion and making false statements on their tax returns, according to the newspapers.
“Back wax, eh?”
Sounds like it came outta nowhere, but I’m going to go ahead and call it racist. Because that’s what everyone else does.
>>Do not understand the pushing of Rubio....and the lack of endorsement for JD Hayworth.....
I’m pushing Rubio because I’m a Floridian. Hayworth isn’t running here. Rubio is far from Ronald Reagan, but he’s a lot closer than Suntan Charlie.
Damm do I feel old.
Crist is dead meat politically. He might as well apply for his job with the Obama Administration. Or he could get a job as a token Republican on MSNBC.
I told you to wear boxers. I can't...get...my...hand...
And what’s with this?
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/16/1154934/do-tea-partyers-really-want-rep.html
“....And yet just in reason (sic) weeks..”
Freshman journalism project?
Crist pulled Rubio’s records,unauthorized chicago style. Just think about everything Bambi’s administration prosecutes and everything they don’t. It is all bass ackwards. Three agencies? Why the heck aren’t two of the agencies doing something productive?
FROM ERIC AT RED STATE:
Early this morning I made the case that the FBI and IRS investigation in Florida had more to do with Charlie Crist than Marco Rubio despite breathless headlines to the contrary.
Ive gotten lots of emails that I was just shilling for Marco and, said one, need to take the news like a man.
Well, I told you so.
Turns out the investigation has been going on for a while and the former RNC Finance Chairman, interviewed by the FBI, said they never asked about Rubio. The Feds did, however, want to know all about Crist running his campaign out of the Florida Republican Partys offices.
What goes around comes around, Charlie.
yeah!!!!!!
I think the investigation needs to be investigated. Sounds like someone is trying to help out Good time Charlie.
Perfect timing too...
Something fishy here...hopefully most voters will be able to see this obvious political deception
Two observations are in order here:
1) Republicans are beyond stupid and suicidal if they don’t avoid even the appearance of ANY impropriety, and
2) the timing employed by government agencies is getting better and better.
If Rubio co-mingled personal expenses on an RNC card on a a regular basis, then, he isn’t very bright!
So this is how it’s going to be, eh?
RINOs and insiders protecting their own.
At this point, Crist’s dirty politics and Meek’s history of corruption point to just voting them totally out of the elected office.
c) No matter how clean a conservative plays the game, Hussein and the press will find a way to crucify them.
Hmmmm.....yet another Senator Ted Stevens (Alaska)type investigation announcement. Ex-Senator Stevens exoneration was placed on page 32 below the obits in most rags, if noted at all. But the investigation...whew, juicy stuff.
“The FBI and the IRS is and has been an arm of the democratic party since the Clinton years.”
And before that they were pure as snowflakes right? It’s just those nasty Democrats that turn such honorable institutions bad. The FBI are now and have been political police for every president since their inception and the IRS I don’t even want to talk about.
Get ready for another “Ted Stevens” smear that will mysteriously be unsolvable until two months after the election when no signs of wrongdoing will be uncovered. Not to be suspicious, however, it will all be retracted on page 15 of the Duluth News Tribune.
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