There’s an old saying that a good prosecutor can persuade a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.
So what to say about a grand jury that can’t even manage to indict a ham sandwich, let alone an actual human being, for a clear case of official corruption?
Only in the Free State of Floriduh, I guess.
The case of the leaked sealed grand jury report about how The Great DeSanitizer administration turned $10 million in taxpayer dollars over to political slush funds grows more puzzling – dare I say maddening? – by the minute.
Essentially the $10 million was part of a Medicaid settlement from a company that had overcharged the state.
But instead of going back into the state treasury, the $10 million went to the Hope Florida Foundation. Run by The Guv’s wife.
After which, for all practical purposes, Hope Florida laundered the money and passed it on to GOP-run political action committees to help defeat a legalized marijuana initiative on the last general election ballot.
“we conclude that these funds were misappropriated as part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities,” the grand jury concluded.
Without even adding an ironic “Duh!”
Oh, and the grand jury wants the Florida Legislature “do something” to make sure this can never happen again.
Wait! What?
Somebody misappropriated state money for political purposes? But nobody can be held criminally culpable for it?
How can that be?
“No witness would take responsibility for making the decision,” and no one “had any memory of who made” it, the grand jury said.
Oh. Well, I guess that’s OK then.
No one involved voluntarily incriminated themselves. So let bygones be bygones.
Never mind that James Uthmeier, then the Guv’s chief of staff and reportedly up to his elbows in the Hope Florida laundering operation, was subsequently appointed State Attorney General by his grateful boss.
And now he’s asking the voters to make his appointment official.
And forget that then-Floriduh Attorney General Ashley Moody green-lighted this money shuffling.
After which she was rewarded by The Guv with an appointment to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat.
Which appointment she also wants the voters to rubber-stamp this fall.
If there is any shred of justice remaining in this state, the Hope Florida scandal – and it is a scandal – should convince voters to say “thanks but no thanks’ to Uthmeier and Moody.
So was there a crime committed or what? Inquiring minds want to know.
Absolutely, The Great DeSanitizer assures us.
Whoever leaked a sealed grand jury report is a criminal.
Obviously.
Nothing to see here folks.
It’s all just bidness as usual in The Great DeSanitizer’s Free State Of Floriduh.
FreeGNV 