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Follow the money

Below is an excerpt from Republican political strategist Roger Stone's blog at stonezone.com:

We now know that ex-Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom ran up at least $170,000 in inappropriate charges on his Republican Party of Florida American Express card, including a lavish European vacation.

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer has been privy to the itemized American Express bills and was clearly aware of the speaker's spending spree -- yet he said and did nothing. Why?

Because Greer's spending on himself and his family makes Samson's expenditures look small-time. Greer has used the RPOF as his personal piggybank, spending donors' money on five-star resorts ... luxury jet aircraft, limousines , sporting equipment, $800 bottles of wine, sports tickets and worse.

Former Party Chairmen Tom Slade and Al Cardenas flew commercial and drove themselves in low-budget rental cars when on party business. Reimbursement for meals was limited to real party business, not taking the wifey out. Both chairmen presided over the growth and electoral success of the GOP.

Gov. Charlie Crist, who talks endlessly about transparency, has been aware of Greer's wild and inappropriate spending as it was an issue when Greer ran for reelection to his party post. When news leaked of one wild and expensive weekend Greer spent at the Breakers in Palm Beach, where the cost of his room service alone could have elected a Republican to Congress, Greer said it was all a mistake -- and sadly, the governor did nothing.

Greer continues to resist any attempt by party funders to see the actual American Express bills, perpetuating the cover-up of the misuse of party funds. Having lost the state for the McCain-Palin ticket (with left-over funds in the RPOF federal account) Jim Greer is the first Republican state chairman [since 1996] to preside over the loss of the state by the GOP in a presidential year, not to mention the loss of a congressional seat. ... Why won't Gov. Crist order Greer to release the entire American Express record?

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