Marco Rubio - U.S. Senate - 2010

Politico: “Rubio says he paid back all the personal expenses which, if true, would eliminate any problem.” (“Rubio’s Expenses,” Politico, 2/25/10)

Former Florida GOP Chairman Tom Slade: “Marco raised about $12 million during the period of time he was spending that money. You could probably pick nickels and dimes off the credit card statements and be critical, but if he paid back nearly $20,000 it ought to cover it. It doesn’t do me any heartburn, what does me some heartburn is the fact that the (former) executive director’s card was about $130,000 for one month up there. That gives me a lot of heartburn – $130,000 was our entire operating budget. Those people were spending money like crazy.” (“Tom Slade: ‘Hell yes’ The Florida GOP Should Release All Credit Card Statements,” St. Petersburg Times, 2/25/10)

Miami Herald: Donor Asked Charlie Crist For His Money. “Developer Al Hoffman, a major GOP donor who recently moved from Fort Myers to North Palm Beach, asked Gov. Charlie Crist to return the $9,600 he and his wife gave to Crist’s U.S. Senate campaign. … ‘I lost my confidence in Charlie’s leadership ability simply because he looked the other way when so many people were warning him about Jim Greer,’ he said. ‘As much as it pains me, I felt this was a significant oversight on Charlie’s part.’” (“Donor Asked Charlie Crist For His Money Back,” Miami Herald, 2/25/10)

National Review: “It seems that Marco Rubio won’t become the next senator of Florida without the Crist Establishment first trying to destroy him with a smear campaign. The current imbroglio involves Rubio’s use of a GOP credit card. Rubio denies any wrongdoing and swings back at Crist and his henchmen for leaking internal financial documents.” (“For Crist’s Sake,” National Review Online, 2/25/10)

Red State: Scorched Earth: Charlie Crist Steals State GOP Records & Leaks Them to Press to Smear Rubio. “There is growing speculation that Charlie Crist is going to run as a independent candidate in Florida as he continues sinking in the polls. … Before he goes, however, Crist is determined to do everything possible to run a scorched earth campaign against Marco Rubio. The latest is beyond the pale. Crist has taken the private credit card records of the Republican Party of Florida and leaked them to the press. … Remember, the NRSC threw its weight behind Crist because he was ahead in the polls and the NRSC did not want to have to spend a bunch of money. If Crist runs a scorched earth policy against Rubio, throwing every possible smear and lie at Rubio, the NRSC is going to have different arithmetic in Florida.” (“Scorched Earth: Charlie Crist Steals State GOP Records & Leaks Them to Press to Smear Rubio,” RedState.com, 2/24/10)

RNC National Committeewoman Sharon Day: “‘I’m not upset with Marco Rubio at all,’ said Day. ‘If you can raise $12 million on $110,000, we all should be that good.’ Day said Greer told her and other party leaders in a private meeting that if he went down, he would take others down with him. … ‘It’s very convenient that the only one that gets released (is Rubio’s),’ she said. ‘This is silly. They want to talk about $110,000 in 25 months when Delmar spent $130,000 in one month.’” (“Rubio: Crist Leaked AmEX Statements; Charges Legit,” Associated Press, 2/24/10)