Republicans lie and break campaign finance laws all the time, knowing that any penalties pale in comparison to actually winning a race. Well, in Florida's hotly contested 25th congressional district, there may be accountability.
A Democratic donor and supporter of congressional candidate Joe Garcia plans to file a lawsuit Thursday to try to remove Republican rival David Rivera from the Nov. 2 ballot.
The complaint, to be filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, seeks to disqualify Rivera as a federal candidate based on financial disclosure forms Rivera filed while serving as state representative [...]
For seven years, Rivera, an eight-year lawmaker, listed work as an ``international development consultant'' for the U.S. Agency for International Development on his disclosure forms. But USAID officials told The Miami Herald that they had no record of Rivera or his company.
Rivera later said he worked as a subcontractor to other USAID vendors, though he would not disclose the names of the contractors who hired him, saying he had promised them confidentiality.
Is this a stunt, or is there legitimate legal merit? Possibly the latter.
In filing the suit, Barzee may seek to replicate the case of Jim Norman, a Republican state Senate candidate from the Tampa area who was thrown off the ballot last week by a Tallahassee judge for failing to disclose a $500,000 gift in his financial disclosure forms.
In that case, the court found that state candidates may be disqualified from seeking office for failing to fully disclose their finances. The judge ordered Norman's name removed from the ballot after concluding that Norman concealed his family's interest in an Arkansas house, bought with money given to him by a friend.
"Allowing Defendant Jim Norman to remain on the ballot would be an affirmation by this court that such a bold, intentional and material misrepresentation to the public is acceptable under the law; and this court will not do so,'' wrote Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford.
Whether a judge in South Florida will follow the lead of a judge up in Tampa remains to be seen, but it's true -- Republican flagrantly ignore campaign laws because they know damn well that they can get away with it. So Rivera lies about the source of his cash, then when busted, refuses to reveal the actual source.
It's a clear violation of law (for a candidate who has a history of violating the law, such as this and this). The only question is whether he'll be held accountable for it.
Rivera's opponent is Joe Garcia, on our O2B candidates. We can offset a Blue Dog defeat elsewhere by picking up a great Democrat here. Give $5 or $10 or whatever you can afford to help hold the House.