U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio urges Florida Ethics Commission to toss complaint against him

[seafan]

Source: Tampa Bay Times (formerly St. Petersburg Times)

In a move sure to increase speculation he is angling to be the Republican vice presidential running mate, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is demanding the Florida Ethics Commission close out a complaint that he misused Republican and campaign money "to subsidize his lifestyle."

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The March 2010 ethics complaint came during Rubio's Senate campaign against then-Gov. Charlie Crist and was filed by Michael D. Ryan of Fort Lauderdale, who said he based it on articles in the Tampa Bay Times (then St. Petersburg Times) and Miami Herald. The newspapers reported that Rubio, former speaker of the Florida House, routinely charged personal expenses to his party-issued credit card from 2006 to 2008.

Rubio said he repaid personal expenses. Others raised questions, such as the nearly $4,000 he billed the Republican Party of Florida for a rental car in Miami and repairs to his family minivan, which he said was damaged by a valet at a political event.

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A rising figure in national Republican politics, Rubio is considered a top candidate as a vice presidential running mate. He insists he's focused on representing Florida but questions about his past are already drawing national media scrutiny. This week, the Wall Street Journal urged him to air out any vetting problems now so he would not become the next Sarah Palin or Dan Quayle.

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Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/us-sen-marco-rubio-urges-florida-ethics-commission-to-toss-complaint/1218064

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Yep.

As the article states, Rubio's past has 'always dangled, ripe for scrutiny' by the press and his opponents. He's been able to hide it for far too long.

We in Florida have been watching this guy for years. And there is a long trail of dirty finances in his past.


Maybe the upcoming trial this summer of former Republican Party of Florida head Jim Greer, when all of this will be aired out in public, has Rubio finally running scared.

Come to think of it, there are several in the GOP leadership in the Florida legislature that might also be squirming right now.




Maybe to Rubio, PAC does indeed mean 'personal access to cash', according to the ethics complaint, characterizing his actions as "fraud upon his donors whose donations were solicited for political purposes, not to subsidize his lifestyle."



Thinking of running for something, Mr. Rubio, with your demands that these ethics complaints against you be dropped?

But, Mr. Rubio also said this on October 21, 2011:

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he's not going to be the GOP vice presidential nominee in 2012 because he's focused on being a U.S. senator.

Speaking at a political forum in Washington, Rubio said flatly: "I'm not going to be the vice presidential nominee." He then repeated himself.

Rubio said he didn't run for the Senate "to have a launching pad for another job."

Gonna be hard to walk that one back, Mr. Rubio.


But, maybe Mr. Rubio is correct. After his nasty financial laundry finally sees the harsh light of day, he'll decide that any future political ambition he sees for himself just isn't going to happen.



Time is surely going to tell.