The issue arose after state party staff sent voters forms that are intended to fix vote-by-mail ballots that had been initially rejected.
Those forms, which are official state documents, were sent with altered dates, leading the Florida Department of State to turn over the paperwork to several U.S. attorneys and request an inquiry into the "Irregularities." After saying earlier in the week that the state officials were trying "Divert attention" away from the Department of State, which is part of Gov. Rick Scott's administration, the Democrats on Friday took a different approach: They lawyered up.
"Upon receiving notice of the allegations that the form was incorrect, FDP took immediate steps, including hiring an independent investigator to review the issues at hand," attorney Mark Herron said in a statement provided by a party spokeswoman.
Under state law governing "Fraudulent practices," it's a third-degree felony to "Knowingly and willfully ... make or use any false document, knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry" connected to the Department of State.
While the fraud statute is not contained in the state's election code, it relates to the 2018 election because the affidavit in question concerned the elections division, which falls under the Department of State.
Their suspicions revolved around tens of thousands of ballots that had been cast in Broward County and, to date, the elections division, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a judge all say they've seen no credible evidence of fraud.
Democratic Party Vice Chairman Alan Clendenin, who lost a bitter chairmanship fight to the party's current chairwoman, Terrie Rizzo, said that top party leaders - including Rizzo and Executive Director Juan Peñalos - were not involved in the decision to alter the documents.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/dem-staffers-in-fl-lawyer-up-as-feds-pursue-voter-fraud-investigation/
Those forms, which are official state documents, were sent with altered dates, leading the Florida Department of State to turn over the paperwork to several U.S. attorneys and request an inquiry into the "Irregularities." After saying earlier in the week that the state officials were trying "Divert attention" away from the Department of State, which is part of Gov. Rick Scott's administration, the Democrats on Friday took a different approach: They lawyered up.
"Upon receiving notice of the allegations that the form was incorrect, FDP took immediate steps, including hiring an independent investigator to review the issues at hand," attorney Mark Herron said in a statement provided by a party spokeswoman.
Under state law governing "Fraudulent practices," it's a third-degree felony to "Knowingly and willfully ... make or use any false document, knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or entry" connected to the Department of State.
While the fraud statute is not contained in the state's election code, it relates to the 2018 election because the affidavit in question concerned the elections division, which falls under the Department of State.
Their suspicions revolved around tens of thousands of ballots that had been cast in Broward County and, to date, the elections division, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a judge all say they've seen no credible evidence of fraud.
Democratic Party Vice Chairman Alan Clendenin, who lost a bitter chairmanship fight to the party's current chairwoman, Terrie Rizzo, said that top party leaders - including Rizzo and Executive Director Juan Peñalos - were not involved in the decision to alter the documents.
https://pjmedia.com/trending/dem-staffers-in-fl-lawyer-up-as-feds-pursue-voter-fraud-investigation/
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