A day after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi
publicly rebuked FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen for not investigating claims of voter fraud in the state's midterm election, the two agencies issued a joint press release assuring the public they were watching for "criminal activity."
But they stopped short of saying whether they'd found any fraud.
Gov. Rick Scott has repeatedly gone on TV to complain of "rampant fraud" in Tuesday's election after witnessing his lead in the U.S. Senate race against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson dwindle as votes continued to be counted after election night.
Like Bondi, he's offered no evidence of fraud in his call for an investigation. So far, FDLE officials have said they've had no evidence to warrant an investigation.
Jim York, who was FDLE commissioner under Gov. Bob Graham in the 1980s, said he was outraged that Scott and Bondi were pressuring Swearingen.
"It's extraordinary. I don't know where the attorney general feels she has any jurisdiction here," York said. "I just appreciate Swearingen, and I hope he continues to stand up to this kind of crap."
York said that Scott could simply make a formal request for an FDLE investigation, something the governor has not done. Instead, Scott has given a news conference. He's asked the agency to intervene, but only verbally and without clear evidence.
"If he wants an executive investigation, he needs to put it in writing and send it to him," York said.