Gov. Charlie Crist surprised many by saying he did not know President Barack Obama was in Jacksonville recently to visit with U.S. troops. But newly obtained e-mails show Crist's aides in Washington and Tallahassee were notified of the trip.

An itinerary and invitation were provided by the White House on Oct. 23, three days before the visit, and Crist's executive assistant wrote back the same day saying, ``Unfortunately, the governor will be unable to attend.''

The Republican Crist is running for the U.S. Senate, and has drawn scrutiny for distancing himself from Obama.

The two appeared together in Fort Myers in February to celebrate the stimulus package -- an appearance that has become a liability for Crist as he faces primary challenger Marco Rubio. Crist now says he did not endorse the stimulus, even as he said it helped bail out the state budget.

When reporters in Tallahassee asked Crist whether he knew Obama was in Jacksonville, he replied: ``First I've known of that.''

E-mails obtained by The St. Petersburg Times through a public records request show Crist's office was aware of the visit, and it seems unlikely his aide would have dismissed Crist going to Jacksonville without checking with Crist.

Crist's office refused to comment further Tuesday.

``Gov. Crist has a serious credibility problem,'' said Alex Burgos, spokesman for the Rubio campaign. ``His stimulus denial and his claim he wasn't aware of the president's visit to Florida is all part of a pattern.''

Alex Leary can be reached at leary@sptimes.com.

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