Florida governor Charlie Crist has requested a federal investigation into the Republican Party of Florida as accusations of mismanagement and under-the-table deals continue to mount.
Crist's call for federal authorities to take over the probe followed a similar request from Florida Chief Financial officer Alex Sink, who also sent a request for intervention to the state attorney general Friday.
"It's a mess," Crist said. "This thing stinks."
Most of the "mess" centers around Jim Greer, the former Chairman of the state's Republican party. Greer's personal finances are being investigated, especially for a secret contract he signed in 2009 that sent almost $200,000 in fundraising money to a private company of which Greer owns 60 percent.
An audit of the Republican Party of Florida's finances concluded that it could not justify tens of thousands of dollars expenses claimed by Greer. He was forced out in January, but not before the state party offered him a severance package of $124,000 that also absolved him of wrongdoing.
