Crist Denies Close Ties, But Accused Fraudster Was A Friend Who Even Sponsored Crist's Birthday Cake

Justin Elliott | TPMMuckraker | November 5, 2009

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's assertion that accused fraudster attorney Scott Rothstein was nothing more than another campaign supporter is starting to look even thinner.

A Florida source familiar with the situation tells TPMmuckraker that Rothstein often bragged about his closeness to Crist, now a candidate for US Senate. The source says Rothstein once remarked: "It's one thing when you've got the governor on speed dial. It's another thing when the governor has you on speed dial."

"They were friends," the source tells us. "To say anything else is ridiculous."

Crist said Wednesday: "Well, he had supported me like he did to many others. ... And that's about the extent of it."

Rothstein is accused of bilking investors of as much as hundreds of millions of dollars in a scheme run out of his Fort Lauderdale firm, Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler.

As pointed out by the Palm Beach Post, Rothstein's law firm bio noted not only that he chaired multiple fundraisers for Crist, but also that: "He remains a close friend and advisor to the Governor, currently serving on the Governor's Chairman's Counsel, a group of 25 highly respected business people in Florida handpicked by the Governor and the Chair of the Republican Party of Florida." ...

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