Posted on 10/26/2018 10:45:51 PM PDT by MaxistheBest
The Andrew Gillum campaign continues to implode, now with reports that he failed to disclose $4,386 of an “in kind contribution” made by an undercover FBI agent who had been investigating the campaign. Campaign finance laws require all candidates to report all campaign contributions and expenditures to be listed with the state disclosure portal. While there’s usually a 30 day window to file these reports, the FBI agent’s contribution is from 2016.
The ironically named Tallahassee Democrat reports:
An undercover FBI agent posing as an Atlanta developer seeking to do business with the city of Tallahassee was billed for food and drinks for a 2016 fundraiser for Mayor Andrew Gillum’s nascent political action committee, documents released Friday show.
The Forward Florida PAC would eventually become the war chest for Gillum’s gubernatorial campaign. It is the first piece of evidence linking an ongoing FBI probe to Gillum’s broader campaign for statewide office.
The emails and receipts released Friday as part of a supplemental records request from the Florida Commission on Ethics show that the agent, Mike Miller, was invoiced $4,386 by 101 Restaurant and Mint Lounge, a restaurant owned by lobbyist Adam Corey at the time. An email exchange shows that Miller paid the bill and that Gillum sent him a personal thank you note for the food.
The Ethics Commission initially subpoenaed records of Corey’s travel that included the mayor, producing 150 pages of documents that included text messages confirming that Gillum attended the Broadway hit “Hamilton” while in New York in August 2016 and that Miller provided the tickets.
The invoice — billed to “Forward Florida Honoring Andrew Gillum” — described a dinner for 40 guests of filet mignon, twice-baked sweet potatoes, salmon mousse canapes, broccoli and carrots, and southern style strawberry shortcake for $2,800. The bar tab was $1,200 for beer, wine and liquor.
Adding a 20 percent service charge and sales tax brought the bill to $5,160, but an owner’s discount brought the remaining balance due to $4,386.
This took place before Gillum was running for governor, when he was merely the mayor of Tallahassee. That’s another layer of troubl, as The Orlando Sentinel adds:
The information was released by Christopher Kise, a lawyer representing Corey, in response to a request earlier this week from the state’s ethics commission. The commission is investigating whether Gillum accepted gifts from lobbyists after a Tallahassee businessman and persistent critic of Gillum filed a complaint. Florida law bars local elected officials from accepting anything worth more than $100. Kise was once Florida’s solicitor general and served on the transition team of Republican Gov. Rick Scott when Scott won in 2010.
Gillum has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which involves some of the same people whose names have surfaced in an ongoing FBI investigation into city government.
Corey helped arrange meetings with Gillum on behalf of the undercover agent, but his lawyer has declined to answer questions on whether Corey was working in tandem with the FBI.
It’s not clear if the undercover agent paid the invoice for the reception that Corey hosted at his house on behalf of Gillum’s committee. Campaign finance records filed by the committee do not appear to show any contributions or in-kind donations to cover the event expenses. It is against Florida law for political committee to accept donations without reporting them.
The entire 80+ pages from the investigation can be found on Document Cloud:
Talking about his corruption is racist.
The wording is ambiguous. Did he just now report it or did he do so in 2016?
It is weird how this is coming out. If an undercover FBI agent had him to dead to rights like this, why wasn’t he charged?
He never reported it...it was an illegal campaign donation...he thought it was from a developer who was buying influence for a real estate deal in Tallahassee.
Will this matter?
All I see are articles declaring Florida is going blue in the election. It’s a done deal. The Blue Wave is coming.
“Will this matter?”
The Tampa Bay Times, who endorsed him, are hammering him on these issues. Everyday they run a new story on each of these allegations....it’s going to leave a mark and it gives DeSantis another reason to hit him hard.
Graft like this is part and parcel of being a Rat.
This news only burnishes Gillum’s leftist street cred.
“Racist”
DeSantis has run a terrible campaign...but he can make it up...he’s running ads now with his wife, who is a rock star and President Trump is coming to Fort Myers next week. I’m sure the rest of the gang, KellyAnne, Trump jr, VP Pence will be hitting the state hard. 3rd largest state means it’s a must win ... think about how hard it will be for President Trump to take the state in 2020 if there is a Democrat running the state machine.
If they have to spend the next 2 weeks here they will.
I think the FBI was using him to get to other players.
I’ll be shocked if both DeSantis and Scott don’t win.
#1. That’s why it is called the “Sunshine State” because the laws are forcing the Democrats to let a lot of sunshine in on their corrupt practices.
Maybe. Or else they thought he might play the race card, sooner than he did.
Ping.
Even without this hanging over his head, it stuns me Gillum is even competitive in Florida, especially on the heels of a successful governorship of Rick Scott. Why in God’s name would FL want to elect a race-baiting little Marxist with a horrid mayoral background to lead their state???
Tallahassee is known as the most corrupt state capital in the nation. Really.
The FBI has been after a lot of folks there for awhile. It ks pay for play, and everyone there knows it. Part and parcel of FL politics.
There is more to this story, and it’s starting to trickle out. I think DeSantis knows more than he’s saying.
DeSantis will be a great governor, but he truly doesn’t like gladhanding politics. He’s definitely not a politician. Kind of an introvert, but brilliant. A bit like Rick Scott was.
Was.
Rick learned how to do it.
It sux, but the great (but introverted) ones have to bite the bullet and learn how to work a crowd, etc. Gladhand. They hate it, but it’s kinda required now.
DeSantis is getting used to it a bit, I think. We reelected him as Congressman because he’s so damn effective up there in DC. Instrumental in exposing the deep state corruption. But he wasn’t a great campaigner then, either. He won the primary when he released his add showing him with his kids, teaching them to “build the wall.” Funny as shiite.
He’s smart as a whip, and will get it done. Lots of us ground troop volunteers workkng our asses off for him. Going to go plant yard signs in a bit.
That is some level of corruption, if Tallahassee can beat Albany. So many state government capitols are notable cesspits in this regard; Sacramento, Annapolis, Springfield, and others. I hope Florida can avoid the decline and fate we see now dooming California.
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