Does the Florida Republican Party have corruption problem?

John Thrasher, the new head of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), sent a memo to RPOF members clarifying that any support of Governor Charlie Crist (should he decide to run as an independent) would violate their loyalty oath.

(h/t Pushing Rope)

Florida Republicans Marco Rubio, Ray Sansom, Jim Greer, and Delmar Johnson are being investigated by the IRS, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the FBI.

The state Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum decided to sue the Federal government and gives the contract to an old buddy without an open bidding process.

Rubio demands that other release their RPOF credit card statements, but won’t release his own.

Ex-RPOF Chariman Jim Greer “charged nearly $500,000 to his American Express card to eat well and live well: spa treatments, flowers, flights, fine hotels and pricey restaurants. In a month ending in March 2008, he dropped $41,421.31 in Las Vegas, Washington and Beverly Hills.”

An ex-RPOF staffer ran up a tab of $1.3 million buying goodies like a $40,000 hotel stay for Sansom and his family, thousands of dollars on jewelry and sporting goods, and $19,000 for a visit to a restaurant.

Republican state Representative Dean Cannon spent $19,151 on his RPOF credit card to fly to New York to see the lights at Rockefeller Center, and $2,530 for his birthday bash at Hot Olives. His tab over the last couple of years has run up to $175,000.

Representative C. W. Bill Young regularly requests pork money for his political supporters.

Republican operative Mary McCarty was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison last year on federal corruption charges.

During his tenure Charlie Crist has had to remove or replace 30 public officials in South Florida because of corruption charges.

Anti-corruption bills brought up by the Democratic minority in Tallahassee are not allowed on the floor by the Republican majority.

So, does the RPOF have a problem with corruption? The overwhelming response from Floridians is “We don’t care!” The RPOF outraised Florida Democrats 2.5 to 1 in the first quarter ($7.2 million to $2.77 million).

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