WASHINGTON D.C. — As Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody took to the airwaves Thursday to detail her calls for state and federal probes into Michael Bloomberg's eight-figure donation to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, a move that one of her predecessors called "absurd."
What You Need To Know
- Michael Bloomberg reportedly donated $16 million to help restore Florida felons' voting rights
- Florida AG Ashley Moody calls the donation illegal and has asked for an investigation
- The donation could pave the way for as many as 20,000 Florida felons to vote
Speaking with Spectrum News on Capitol Hill, Congressman Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) said the Republican attorney general's effort is aimed at silencing the voices of felons whose outstanding court fees, fines, and restitution prevent them from voting under the state's GOP-crafted Amendment 4 implementation law, which is currently being challenged in court.
Before his congressional career, Crist served as Florida's attorney general from 2002-2007, and as governor from 2007-2011. During his first year as the state's chief executive, the then-Republican spearheaded headline-grabbing clemency reforms that automatically restored the voting rights of 155,000 felons.
Bloomberg has reportedly donated $16 million to the FRRC, which is working to pay the fees, fines, and restitution of as many as 20,000 felons before the state's Oct. 5 voter registration deadline.
"I think it is absurd," Crist said of Moody's request for investigations. "Here an American citizen is trying to give the second chance to former felons who have paid their debt to society and the Attorney General is trying to challenge that with some kind of investigation? Again, it seems crass politics to me.
"I mean, why do they want to hold back these people who have paid their debt to society? Do they not believe in the concept of forgiveness?"
On "Fox and Friends" Thursday morning, Moody suggested Bloomberg could be in violation of a Florida law that bans cash for votes.
"When I asked for further investigation, I attached all the relevant law, even opinions that describe if you target even particular voters that may be predisposed to vote a particular way, that may be illegal," she said.
Republican state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is also calling for a probe of the Bloomberg contribution, in a statement calling the Florida Elections Commission "a great authority for determining to what degree Bloomberg has broken the law."
Wednesday, however, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg — a Democrat — tweeted a "spoiler alert," saying "there's nothing improper about donating to pay off court fees so indigent returning citizens can register to vote. In fact, some would call it a Mitzvah."