RPOF to release only 3 years of AmEx statements (2007-2009); Rubio used card from 2005-2008

[seafan]

Circling the wagons around Rubio......

Rubio wrote Thrasher that he had a party American Express card from February 2005 until November 2008, during which time he was speaker designate and then speaker of the Florida House.

The leaked records, however, cover only the last 25 months of that time, Rubio's tenure as speaker, during which the party paid $109,618.45 and Rubio paid $16,052.50, he wrote.

..... LINK

What happened during the first 20 months that Rubio possessed this GOP American Express card?



Thrasher's solution? 'Let's just release records from 2007-2009. And blame most all of it on Greer.'



Wonder what Rubio's 2005 and 2006 AmEx statements would reveal about his spending, when he was speaker-designate and then Speaker from late 2006 until 2008... looks like John Thrasher is actively concealing this, as he hopes to get away with keeping the narrow focus aimed at Greer's activity.


Thrasher says let's *NOT* look at Rubio's entire use of the AmEx card, beginning in February 2005 until November 2008....




To review:


February 15, 2010, St. Petersburg Times

U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio charged grocery bills, repairs to the family minivan and purchases from a wine store less than a mile from his West Miami home to the Republican Party of Florida while he was speaker of the Florida House, according to records obtained by the St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald.

Rubio said Wednesday that he paid for all personal expenses billed to an American Express card given to him by the party to use from 2005 to 2008, when he left public office. The rest of the charges, he said, were legitimate party expenses.

Those expenses include a $1,000 charge at Braman Honda in Miami for repairs to the family car in January 2008. Rubio said the minivan was damaged by parking attendants at a political function and that the party agreed to cover half of his insurance deductible. The party also paid $2,976 for him to rent a car in Miami for five weeks.

Rubio said the party allowed him to put personal expenses on the card and the party reviewed his bill monthly.

.....

April 23, 2010, Orlando Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida GOP’s executive board has voted to release all the credit card records for the three years that ousted Chairman Jim Greer led the party.

Some 22 GOP staffers and legislators held American Express cards over that period, including former House Speakers Ray Sansom and Marco Rubio, future House Speaker Dean Cannon, and other unnamed lawmakers. All told, they charged in excess of $7 million during that period, a shift that party stalwarts concede was an attempt to shield disclosure of what they were spending donor money on.

Republican Party of Florida spokeswoman Katie Betta said party leaders would decide over the next couple weeks how to go about releasing them all.

Earlier in the closed-door meeting, current Chairman John Thrasher officially removed Greer from the governing board. As a Seminole County state committeeman, Greer was still an official voting member of the board — but he didn’t attend the meeting.

Greer has sued Thrasher and the party, claiming he was the victim of Rubio backers trying to discredit Gov. Charlie Crist and his own leadership of the party. He has also claimed he is owed $123,000 in severance for leaving.

April 23, 2010, Miami Herald

RPOF agrees to release 3 years of credit cards

After breaking into groups and reviewing more than two dozen American Express credit card statements, the RPOF executive committee agreed to release the statements to the public for the last three years from party and elected officials -- in about two weeks.

"There's been some excesses in some areas,'' said party chairman John Thrasher. "It's important to have the information out there.'' He said the party has received reimbursement checks for personal expenses charged on the party cards from Marco Rubio, Jeff Atwater and Dean Cannon. "Others may want to act accordingly,'' he said.

Legislative Service of Marco Rubio

Elected to the House January 25, 2000, reelected subsequently

Procedures & Policy 2004-2006

Speaker 2006-2008

.....

When Rubio became speaker, he spent about $400,000 in tax dollars to remodel offices and build a members-only dining room so lawmakers rushing to meetings or in the throes of negotiations would not have to leave the Capitol to eat.

.....

LINK

I wonder whether Rubio also double-billed the state and the RPOF for those office renovations, in the same manner he double-billed the state and RPOF for plane tickets while he was Speaker. Incidentally, just two days ago, Rubio finally paid back the RPOF for 2 of those double-billed plane tickets.... only after he was busted.



These people disgust me.

[seafan]

1. Thrasher blames Greer and Crist, but refuses to release Rubio's earlier GOP credit card charges.

*Winner* of the week in Florida politics, according to Adam C. Smith at Tampa Bay's The Buzz:

April 25, 2010

Marco Rubio

Sure, it's ominous news that the IRS is looking at some of his spending of Florida GOP money but at least the state GOP has decided not to release any party credit card records that pre-date Jim Greer's tenure as chairman. Because it's a safe bet that as speaker-designate overseeing Florida House campaigns Rubio charged more than he did as speaker, when his statements totalled more than $100,000. He could release the earlier statements himself to prove his charges were appropriate. Will he? Don't count on it.

Just as we suspected.... FL GOP Chairman John Thrasher blames Greer and Crist for the whole mess, and then fortifies the wall around Rubio's early credit card spending before Greer's tenure....




Thrasher: 'Sure, you can see **ALL** of Jim Greer's statements. But not Marco Rubio's.'


April 23, 2010

.....

The Herald/Times also obtained the AmEx statements of Senate President Jeff Atwater, who charged $44,116; former party executive director Jim Rimes, who charged more than $2 million; former House Speaker Marco Rubio, who charged about $100,000; state Rep. Dean Cannon, the incoming House speaker, who charged nearly $200,000; and former House Speaker Ray Sansom, who is now under indictment on corruption charges, who charged about $173,000.

Rubio and Sansom had credit cards before Greer came into office, but the party did not release those statements; Thrasher said Greer was responsible for the spending spree.

``He was chairman. He approved his own statements. He had total control of that apparatus of the party,'' he said.

He also blames Crist, but not party executives, for neglecting Greer's behavior.

``The governor's the guy that pretty much placed Chairman Greer in the position he did,'' Thrasher said. ``Remember: Every one of these people are volunteers. This is not a corporate board where you are paid a fee. . . . I think this is a culture that evolved over a period of time.''

He said that Greer's $500,000 in credit-card expenses were never scrutinized ``because he didn't let them be scrutinized.''

.....

Nice, how Greer and Crist are convenient scapegoats for Thrasher to take the focus off of Rubio.



Here's hoping the IRS has its own plan for Mr. Rubio.