Jacob Ogles
Outgoing Attorney General Pam Bondi on Sunday scolded the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for declining so far to investigate the tabulation of votes in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Bondi, a Tampa Republican, also demanded Secretary of State Ken Detzner report all election irregularities in the Democratic-leaning counties to the Office of Statewide Prosecution, which reports to her.
The state’s chief legal officer sent a letter to FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen saying the law enforcement agency has an obligation to investigate now.
“I am deeply troubled by your announcement that you will not pursue any investigation or inquiry into clearly documented irregularities of election officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties,” Bondi wrote.
In a separate letter, Bondi told Detzner to report “any indication creating a reasonable suspicion of potential criminal activity” on the part of Broward or Palm Beach elections officials to her office. (Both letters are also at the bottom of this post.)
Republican Gov. Rick Scott, as a U.S. Senate candidate and not as Governor, on Thursday announced a lawsuit against Broward and Palm Beach counties demanding records on the number of votes cast.
That came as continued votes caused his lead in a Senate race over Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson to erode.
When final unofficial vote totals were reported to the Division of Elections by noon Saturday, Scott held a 12,562-vote, or 0.15 percent, lead in the Senate election—well with the 0.5 percent to trigger a statewide mandatory machine recount.
At a press conference, Scott also called on the FDLE to investigate irregularities in the two counties.
An FDLE spokesperson said they were “working with” Department of State officials but had not received any credible reports of elections fraud and would not investigate—at least not at that time.
“The FDLE communicated with the Department of State and they indicated at the time that they have no allegations of fraud,” FDLE spokesman Jeremy Burns said Friday afternoon.
“We offered our assistance in the event that any criminal allegations are identified, and we will remain in contact with them.”
Bondi’s letters came the same day that Scott filed an emergency complaint (see below) seeking to require that FDLE and local sheriff’s offices impound and secure all voting machines, tallies, and ballots in Broward and Palm Beach counties that are not actively in use.
Scott’s complaint also asks a judge to insist, in particular, that Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes not destroy any ballots and that Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher follow legal requirements for reviewing ballots.
In a statement, Democrats said such tactics showed an abuse of power by Scott.
“In suing to seize ballots and impound voting machines, Rick Scott is doing his best to impersonate Latin American dictators who have overthrown democracies in Venezuela and Cuba,” said Juan Peñalosa, the Florida Democratic Party’s executive director.
“The Governor is using his position to consolidate power by cutting at the very core of our Democracy.”
43 comments
Jeffrey Sutton
November 11, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Threatening to jail political rivals always a good sign for a society.
berb
November 11, 2018 at 6:07 pm
Jeffrey Sutton is a dummy. Shut up you dummy.
Michael T Youngblood
November 12, 2018 at 11:44 am
AMEN ! Or just another butt hurt democRAT ?
Richard
November 11, 2018 at 6:35 pm
You mean like they’ve been trying to do to Trump?
Arturo R.
November 11, 2018 at 11:02 pm
Threatening to jail peone who commit voter fraud is always good for democracy.
len
November 11, 2018 at 11:40 pm
yes, IF you cheat, illegally, get votes, steal the election through fraud, yes!! these all the democrats did!
Fay Mills
November 12, 2018 at 7:37 am
First of all the Democrats claim what Rick Scott is doing is against the Democracy. We have a Republic not a Democracy, so this is where the DEMS keep getting it all wrong! We DO NOT allow NON-CITIZENS or FELONS to vote PERIOD! The DEMS seem to think it is ok for them to designate against our laws to get more votes! Why is Nelson so upset that all non-citizen votes are being taken out of the legal vote tally? BECAUSE HE CAN’T WIN OTHERWISE by the TRUE AMERICAN FLORIDIANS voting! My attitude to all this is to just throw out all votes in these two corrupt counties TOTALLY and allow these people who live there to vote in people who will obey the laws of elections next time! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
P
November 12, 2018 at 2:04 pm
Damn sure is when they’ve broken the law and acted with gross negligence
DAY
November 12, 2018 at 3:49 pm
You don’t just ”FIND” 30,000 VOTES 2 DAYS after the polls close. If you elect a corrupt and inept Supervisor of Elections WHO CAN’T COMPLETE THE JOB IN THE TIME ALLOTTED,, YOU SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES…. THE ONLY RESULTS WE HAVE THAT ARE CONFIRMED ARE THE ELECTION NIGHT NUMBERS… OTHERWISE WE HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER MONITORED ELECTION IN BOTH COUNTIES….
Denise
November 12, 2018 at 7:06 pm
… says every political opponent that is willing to commit or accept fraud as a means to justify the ends, ever….
Woody Republican
November 14, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Exactly Jeff, exactly, the only way we can make America great again is to remove these scumbags, and to the democratic shitbag’s out there,” kiss my Republican ass”
John Q Public
November 11, 2018 at 6:56 pm
110% of registered Voters in Broward have voted with over 10% of those votes being delivered in the dark of night. Snipes is not allowing Republican recount watchers in to observe but other observers has witnessed Snipes cronies eliminating good GOP votes and mixing fake Dem votes in with good votes. They want a civil war.
Barry James O'Brien
November 11, 2018 at 10:17 pm
What is the source of your 110% figure? Broward elections website says 60% voted
nordonia nate
November 12, 2018 at 8:24 am
Barry…
Who is more correct? Prove either percentage is accurate.
Vivian Griscom
November 13, 2018 at 11:47 am
Could someone please tell me why Snipes has not been arrested? They state she has done this before and zero happened to her. I also want to know who this person is who SAW election workers filling in ballots and how can Snipes get away with not allowing republicians in to witness vote count???? HOW CAN THERE BE NO CONSEQUENCES FOR THIS BEHAVIOR?
Woody Republican
November 14, 2018 at 4:03 pm
Exactly , arrest the bitch for voter fraud.
Victoria Bentley
November 14, 2018 at 6:09 pm
I agree
Bruh
November 11, 2018 at 6:57 pm
She’d threaten the same thing if the Republicans were the ones who could benefit from the recount. Our girl is pure integrity
Horrified Republican
November 11, 2018 at 7:42 pm
Integrity? Wow 😮 A criminal past and that is your definition of INTEGRITY? 🙄 Why am I not surprised?
Fay Mills
November 12, 2018 at 7:45 am
I think Bruh meant Pam Bondi…..I could be wrong though!
K. Renforth
November 12, 2018 at 9:33 am
I couldn’t agree more, there is absolutely nothing these people won’t do to get what they want. There is no INTEGRITY only lies and stupidity.
Brad
November 13, 2018 at 2:50 pm
To BRUH, Maybe So if your talking about A PURE CRIMINAL Then You Are Correct SNIPES IS A TRUE DEMOCRAT CRIMINAL!! FACTS DON’T LIE
Victoria Bentley
November 14, 2018 at 6:11 pm
With 12 charges of tampering prior to this election?? I think not!!
Madmarv
November 11, 2018 at 6:57 pm
2478
Q
!!mG7VJxZNCI
11 Nov 2018 – 9:58:18 AM
Let the unsealing begin.
Let the DEC[L]AS begin.
Let the WORLD witness the TRUTH.
We, the PEOPLE.
JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW.
Q
https://www.facebook.com/QsWhiteRabbit/videos/256559495008286/UzpfSTEwMDAwMjU1MDkxMzgzOTpWSzoxMTU3MDQ0NjU0NDU1OTMw/?sorting_setting=CHRONOLOGICAL
J
November 11, 2018 at 7:45 pm
If there is going to be a recount then the whole state should have to recast their ballots, not go off this bullshit oh we found some more. Nope all new ballot cast and done by the F.B.I. or something.
Wyatt
November 11, 2018 at 10:25 pm
I don’t think the FBI could handle an election, that’s not really their thing.
Fay Mills
November 12, 2018 at 7:48 am
The WHOLE STATE is doing recount and has till Thursday the 15th to finish it up! I feel all the other counties should sue these two for outright disobeying our STATE LAWS OF ELECTION!
Victoria Bentley
November 14, 2018 at 6:13 pm
Smartest thing to do to make this correct!
Pablo Picasso
November 11, 2018 at 10:53 pm
Interesting how apparently, according to people here, that the elections officials in Broward are smart enough to jimmy the numbers, but not smart enough to see that a 110% number would be very suspect. Or maybe, just maybe, people are just stupid plebs and see what they want to see.
Helen Boinds
November 12, 2018 at 1:31 am
They havs been getting away with these crimes for years…remember the “Recount” for Col Allen West??? Rigged!!
Danielle
November 11, 2018 at 11:29 pm
Same woman who testified to destroying votes in 2016 election. Absolutely ridiculous.
Nobody
November 12, 2018 at 1:57 am
How is it that Broward county is at the center of controversy whenever something shady happens? It’s where the fake bomb scare with the laughably Hollywood bombs originated a week before election. It’s where the 9/11 hijackers came into this country and were based while they earned their flight instructions. It’s where the Bush/Gore election’s “hanging chad” issue during recount took place. It’s where the Parkland shooting happened. It’s the district belonging to election cheat Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the gal who was head of the DNC when the election was rigged for Hillary and stolen out from under Bernie Sanders feet during 2016 and whom had to resign her position in disgrace only to return to being a crooked House Rep for the district there is no justice in this universe. Evil gets rewarded with additional terms in congress.
This place is so loony it’s like the setting for a very bad daytime drama!
What the HELL Broward?!
Gordon Liddy
November 12, 2018 at 5:21 am
Do I have this right, Cops wont investigate unless there is proof of fraud… and yet they cant wrap their minds around the figure of 110% of voters voted…
Tater
November 12, 2018 at 7:53 am
Now we know why democracy don’t work ! This why you find nothing about democracy in the constitution. Statue ,laws,rule, and codes . is a made loophole to use men to make people think its justice and fare because those defacto court barrister of England in favor of one party. people of America so stupid when u see two
Members of the B.a.r u really think it’s for good of the Country Ha ha .you foolish ppl the very thing you to disinfanchise ppl of color we’ll be the very same thing use to ripe power out your hands ..anytime you see two caucasian men fighting you soon to see what they built fall ..just like Rome this battle isn’t ours .its the lord ..the God of abraham Isaac and Jacob.. and the killings at you doorstep.. the chickens come home to roost… at last 400 years is over …
Lori
November 12, 2018 at 8:32 am
The core of their democracy is cheating??
Cass
November 12, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Threatening to prosecute is something that wimpy Republicans always do. DONT TALK ABOUT IT, JUST DO IT!!!
RRangel
November 12, 2018 at 11:42 pm
It’s really an Alinsky tactic to accuse your morally superior opposition of exactly what your are guilty of. Follow the law leftists because no one is buying it!
Classic65
November 12, 2018 at 5:58 pm
Invalidate all votes from BOTH of those irresponsible counties!!!
Mike Roddy
November 12, 2018 at 6:49 pm
What Bondi really needs to do is release the mail in ballots that are still being held at the Opa Locka post office!!! Let all the votes be counted!!! The bombs sent from Plantation are starting to look like a plan to keep mail in votes in Broward from ever being delivered.
RRangel
November 12, 2018 at 11:41 pm
The Democrats that worship Cuban dictators and love Venezuela have the nerve to compare Scott to their tyrannical heroes. All for insisting that they follow the law and not break it like would be tyrants. It’s really an Alinsky tactic to accuse your morally superior opposition of exactly what they are guilty of. Follow the law leftists because no one is buying it!
Melissa Rich
November 13, 2018 at 2:18 am
The counties that were deemed FEMA disaster areas were able to get theirs completed on time….no excuses
barada
November 13, 2018 at 3:21 am
All the officials are Republicans.
So much distrust of these officials by Republicans.
But they know their own, so it does make sense.
I agree, it’s hard to trust a GOPer.
Comments are closed.