Crist confronts paternity claim
As he did 18 years ago, the candidate denies an election-eve leak that he fathered a child with a woman active in the GOP.
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
Published September 4, 2006
Charlie Crist confronted an 18-year-old claim that he fathered a child with a St. Petersburg woman, calling it "absolutely false" on Sunday as a secret campaign was launched near the end of the Republican primary for governor to leak the paternity dispute to the press.
Documents faxed anonymously to the St. Petersburg Times show that in 1989 Rebecca O'Dell Wharrie said Crist was the father of a baby she wanted to place for adoption. Crist signed an affidavit denying paternity and relinquishing any parental rights.
"Parenthood by myself is not possible as I never consummated the act necessary for parenthood," Crist stated in the affidavit signed in May 1989. In a handwritten note at the bottom, he added "This should make clear the adoptive process. Thanks, Charlie."
The records, from the sealed adoption file of a girl who was born in June of 1989, were leaked to a handful of reporters four days ago. They were e-mailed to reporters across the state Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday Crist addressed the matter.
"The whole thing, I mean, it's just absolutely false," Crist told reporters outside of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville after attending the service. "It's obviously a last-minute ditch effort to try to resurrect a campaign, and it's sad, and it's the most scurrilous thing I think I've ever heard of in Florida politics. And I'm not going to honor it with any further comment."
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/09/04/State/Crist_confronts_pater.shtml