I think this was more of a favor called in by Schumer of other dem leadership in the Senate. With Crist being a party to the deal.
Call Clinton and have him convince Meek to drop out, and Crist will agree to caucus with the dems when he gets in the Senate, giving them what will be a badly needed additional seat. This seems to be a panic move for the dems. They must see some stuff going on late out there that has them scared to death.
I agree entirely w your analysis. However, I doubt Schumer wanted the story out once the deal fell through. This is Crist’s Hail Mary - a true scumbag.
The big questions: why would Clinton confirm the story and how does this impact the gubernatorial race?