From the Miami Herald: “After meeting with state investigators for two hours and taking repeated calls from reporters, Garcia said he’s willing to explain what he knows and what he doesn’t know about his campaign in 2012 or in 2010, when Arrojo and he ran against Rivera.”

Well you have everyone’s attention Congressman Garcia… When and where would you like to discuss this?

The saga of Congressman Joe Garcia’s life of political corruption is like a bad episode of The Real Housewives of Miami – it’s a train wreck, but we can’t stop watching. Unfortunately, the Florida families Garcia represents can’t just turn off the TV. Congressman Garcia owes the people he represents answers to these very troubling revelations.

In case you missed it…

Mailer links mystery candidate to Rep. Joe Garcia camp
Miami Herald
By Marc Caputo & Patricia Mazzei

The FEC case file indicates that the agency never made much of an investigation into Arrojo’s finances, or how he could afford the $10,440 qualifying fee or the mailers. If he paid the qualifying fee with his own money, the self-contribution might not have to be reported, but the expense should have been.

The qualifying fee aside, in order for Arrojo to have spent less than $5,000 on the mailers, he would have printed fewer than 10,000 of them — about half of a typical mailer.

But there was likely yet another expense: A campaign manager, mail vendor or some other type of middleman.

Image Plus’s president, Warren, said he never met Arrojo and that the print shop, like others, works almost exclusively with campaign managers or mail vendors who represent multiple clients.

While Warren said he couldn’t remember who came into his shop on Arrojo’s behalf, he recalled the work was already designed and was submitted to Image Plus on a compact disc.

After checking his files, Warren said he couldn’t readily find a distinct account for Arrojo. Warren, though, acknowledged he wouldn’t disclose private information about the company’s clients.

Warren, whose print shop is under no suspicion for any crimes, said he’d happily talk to the FBI if the agency begins investigating the case. The FBI refused comment.

Though Arrojo’s FEC complaint has been closed, the FBI could still investigate whether he illegally took money or whether he lied to the FEC — a federal offense.

Meantime, Sternad is scheduled to be sentenced Monday June 24 in federal court.

The unrelated state investigation into Joe Garcia’s campaign continues.

Garcia knows he faces a tough campaign ahead in 2014, especially now that he had to fire his top political advisor. The congressman points out that none of the fraudulently requested absentee ballots were ever fraudulently filled out or voted.

After meeting with state investigators for two hours and taking repeated calls from reporters, Garcia said he’s willing to explain what he knows and what he doesn’t know about his campaign in 2012 or in 2010, when Arrojo and he ran against Rivera.

“I didn’t know Arrojo then and I don’t know him now,” Garcia said. “In 2010, things were coming fast and furious, and I didn’t focus much on him, anyway.”

The post FL Democrat Rep. Garcia’s Political Corruption Goes Way Back appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

The President is in town to raise money for national Democrats and surely Congressman Garcia is hoping to see some of that money in his campaign coffers for 2014.

But will President Obama help Garcia while he is in the middle of his own personal PR nightmare?

We already know that the host of the event, Joseph Blount, gave $1,000 to Garcia’s campaign in September of 2012. Will Garcia get some cash from this high dollar fundraiser?

Congressman Joe Garcia’s voter fraud scandal has become an embarrassment for national Democrats. The looming question is whether President Obama will stick by the scandal ridden Congressman from South Florida or tell Joe Garcia to take a hike.

The post Obama Visits South Florida Today While Area Democrat Rep. is Facing Voter Fraud Scandal appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Listen to the ad here:

Congressman Joe Garcia has a lot of explaining to do over his role in the voter fraud scandal that has rocked South Florida. The families of the 26^th District are sick and tired of political corruption, but unfortunately for them, Joe Garcia has chosen the route of dishonesty and political games. Floridians deserve better from their representative.

The post NRCC Launches Spanish Language Radio Ad Against Democrat Joe Garcia Over Voter Fraud Scandal appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Yep – the same William Barzee who has given Joe Garcia over $16,000 towards his efforts to become a Member of Congress.

Yet, we are supposed to believe that Barzee will conduct an open and honest investigation into Garcia’s campaign. We already know that Garcia and his former chief of staff were BFFs and that Garcia has been best buds with William Barzee for years.

This internal investigation just doesn’t pass the smell test.

Please keep in mind:

• William Barzee has given Garcia $16,800 and
  ens of thousands more to Democrats and the Florida Democrat Party.
• When Garcia was running against David Rivera in 2010, William Barzee filed separate complaints with the FEC, Florida Commission on Ethics and the Miami-Dade Circuit Court on FIVE different occasions in attempts to undermine Rivera’s campaign.

Do Florida families really think William Barzee will conduct this internal investigation without bias?

Florida families deserve to know the truth about Congressman Joe Garcia’s alleged voter fraud scandal. While this isn’t the first time that William Barzee was called upon to help Garcia in the face of controversy, it’s troubling that Garcia is once again looking to his good friend and campaign contributor to clean up the mess for him.

Please note: Photo credit belongs to Florida Keys Newsroom.

The post FL Democrat Congressman Calling on Cronies to Help Him in Alleged Voter Fraud Scandal appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Seeing as Garcia has been too busy to explain to his constituents what his role was in the voter fraud scheme, here are the following reasons why we think Congressman Garcia is too busy.

Congressman Garcia wasn’t feeling camera ready this week to explain his role in the voter fraud scandal to reporters…

This one makes sense! Congressman Garcia was hungry and didn’t want his ice cream to melt…

Congressman Garcia doesn’t want to explain his role in the voter fraud scheme because he would rather pretend it’s not even happening…

This makes even more sense. Congressman Garcia just doesn’t have time for haters…

Maybe Congressman Garcia just ain’t got time for this…

With Congressman Garcia standing by his communications director Giancarlo Sopo, who is currently under investigation for his role, maybe he is just busy on the phone with Sopo trying to get talking points on how to handle this crisis…

Maybe Congressman Garcia just hopes this whole thing will just go away…

This one is even better! Maybe his evil twin made him do it…

Or maybe Congressman Garcia is still in shock and he hasn’t been able to regroup…

It could just be that Congressman Garcia knows he is in big trouble and doesn’t want to deal with it…

Florida families reaction to Joe Garcia…

Here’s to you Congressman Garcia! Keep up the good work! 

The post Michelle from Full House Helps Explain Joe Garcia’s Alleged Voter Fraud Scandal in 10 GIFs appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Wanted to make sure you caught this tidbit from the Miami Herald article last week.

“The Miami-Dade state attorney’s office, seeking electronic equipment such as computers, served search warrants Friday at the homes of Giancarlo Sopo, 30, Joe Garcia’s communications director; and John Estes, 26, his 2012 campaign manager. Neither Estes nor Sopo responded to requests for comment.

“A third search warrant was also executed, though it wasn’t clear where.”

Did we ever find out who was on the receiving end of the third search warrant? Remember, Garcia said he was “committed to the public trust” and would be “diligent about getting to the bottom of this matter.”

From Local 10:

Congressman Garcia said: “South Florida families need to know that I am committed to the public trust and will be diligent about getting to the bottom of this matter. I have hired William Barzee to launch an internal investigation into the matter. I will also fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation being done by the authorities.”

Does Garcia know who received the third search warrant? Why isn’t Garcia disclosing information if his intentions are to be honest with voters in his district?

Congressman Joe Garcia’s tardiness in addressing the details of this voter fraud scandal make the whole situation extremely troubling. Florida families deserve to know who was on the receiving end of that third search warrant and what Congressman Garcia knows about this voter fraud plot.

The post FL Congressman Joe Garcia’s Worst Week Ever appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Yesterday we told you about Garcia’s unwavering defense of Sopo even while he is under investigation…

According to the Miami Herald, Sopo was put on unpaid administrative leave late Monday night. But South Florida families want to know why hasn’t this staffer been fired? Maybe it’s because Sopo has the details on Garcia’s role in the voter fraud scandal…

Some things in the timeline of events detailed by Garcia on Sopo’s history don’t add up and leave more questions than answers:

• In 2008, Sopo was paid $6,500 by Garcia for campaign work.
• In 2010, Sopo was paid $33,450 for campaign work.
• In 2012, Sopo was paid ZERO dollars for campaign work.
• In 2013, Sopo was paid $12,744 between Jan 17 and March 31 for work in Garcia’s congressional office.

But wait! He was paid ZERO dollars in 2012? Garcia himself said Sopo worked on his campaign.

The Miami Herald Reports: Joe Garcia said Sopo wrote news releases, advertising scripts and speeches for his 2012 campaign. Sopo’s compensation does not appear in Garcia’s campaign reports, though he could have been paid by another consultant. Sopo and Jeffrey Garcia have declined to comment.

Joe Garcia, who has hired an attorney to conduct an internal investigation, was unable to say why Sopo was not paid directly: “That’s part of what we have to figure out.”

So who paid Giancarlo Sopo for his work on Garcia’s 2012 race? Why was Sopo not on Garcia’s FEC report if he was working for his 2012 campaign? Why is Garcia standing by an unpaid campaign staffer/congressional staffer under investigation? Garcia needs to explain what he is trying to hide in regards to his knowledge of the voter fraud scheme.

The more information that becomes available from Congressman Joe Garcia about his relationship with the key players in this voter fraud scheme, the more shady and disturbing it all becomes. Florida families need to know what Congressman Garcia is trying to cover up and what his role in this fraudulent scandal really was.

The post More corruption in FL Rep. Joe Garcia voter fraud scandal appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Congressman’s chief of staff resigned, but to top it all off, Garcia’s communications director Giancarlo Sopo’s house was raided Friday by police and yet Congressman Garcia is standing by his man…

Rep. Joe Garcia stands by staffer implicated in Miami-Dade absentee-ballot investigation Miami Herald

According to the Miami Herald, Sopo was put on unpaid administrative leave late Monday night. Why hasn’t this staffer been fired? What does Sopo know that Joe Garcia doesn’t want anyone to find out?

At the end of the day, Florida families need to know:

1.)    What was Congressman Garcia’s involvement in the voter fraud scheme?

2.)    When did Joe Garcia know about the effort to commit voter fraud?

3.)    Did Joe Gracia think it was appropriate to continue to pay his communications director for 4 days while he was under investigation?

4.)    Why hasn’t Garcia fired his communications director?

5.)    What does Giancarlo Sopo know about the voter fraud scheme that has Joe Garcia afraid to fire him?

As you cover this ongoing news, please check out the NRCC’s latest website highlighting Garcia’s alleged voter fraud scandal.

Florida families deserve to know what Congressman Joe Garcia is worried about getting leaked if he fires the staffer currently being investigated for voter fraud. It’s time for Congressman Garcia to come clean on his knowledge of this voter fraud plan and explain why he can’t seem to let go of this staffer implicated in this fraudulent scheme.

The post Why is Joe Garcia standing by top staffer involved in voter fraud scandal? appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Congressman Joe Garcia is in the hot seat over an alleged ballot request fraud that has caused his chief of staff to resign Friday night. This is the same chief of staff, Jeffrey Garcia, who worked for Congressman Patrick Murphy’s campaign in 2012.

From Florida’s Shark Tank: Also, it is important to point out that Jeffrey Garcia worked for Democrat Patrick Murphy’s congressional campaign against Republican Congressman Allen West. While the Herald reports that Murphy has not been implicated in the ballot fraud case, the 2012 Murphy-West recount drama that took place raises more doubt and speculation as to whether or not voter fraud was committed in that race as well.

Did Congressman Patrick Murphy know about the voter fraud scheme happening in FL-26? What does Congressman Murphy have to say about this alleged voter fraud scheme?

The news that Congressman Patrick Murphy’s campaign was involved with the same people who pushed this voter fraud scheme in South Florida is very troubling. It’s time for Patrick Murphy to address his involvement with Congressman Garcia’s chief of staff and condemn the actions of Joe Garcia and his campaign team.

Background:

Additional excerpt from Miami Herald article: “Friday’s precipitous events came three months after a Miami Herald investigation found that hundreds of 2,552 fraudulent online requests for the Aug. 14 primaries originated from mystery hackers using Internet Protocol addresses in Miami. The Herald found those requests were clustered and targeted Democratic voters in Congressional District 26, which stretches from Kendall to Key West and where Garcia was competing against three other candidates.”

Over the weekend, Congressman Garcia held a press conference to address the fraud scandal surrounding him and his office:

Joe Garcia on the ballot fraud scandal: “He called the plot “ill-conceived” but added: “I think it was a well-intentioned attempt to maximize voter turnout.” (…) “I explain it with the reckless abandon that we play politics in South Florida,” he said. “It shouldn’t be that way.”

The post FL Rep. Patrick Murphy’s close ties to FL voter fraud scandal appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Joe Garcia: “He called the plot “ill-conceived” but added: “I think it was a well-intentioned attempt to maximize voter turnout.” (…) “I explain it with the reckless abandon that we play politics in South Florida,” he said. “It shouldn’t be that way.”

But Florida’s Shark Tank reported this weekend on Congressman Garcia’s “hands-on” approach leadership style: “During Garcia’s past failed Congressional campaigns, Garcia built up a reputation of being a “hands-on” type of candidate, that insisted on been apprised on all aspects of his campaign.”

So now the questions still remain for Joe Garcia:

1.)    What did Congressman Garcia know about Jeffrey Garcia’s voter fraud scheme which caused the chief of staff to resign?

2.)    When did he find out about Jeffrey Garcia’s voter fraud scheme?

Wait… there’s more:

From the Miami Herald: Earlier Friday, law enforcement officers had raided the family homes of his communications director, Giancarlo Sopo, 30, and his former campaign manager, John Estes, 26, searching for computers and other electronic equipment in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation by the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office into the phantom ballot requests.

Does Joe Garcia think his communications director should continue receiving his taxpayer-funded salary even though his home was raided by police over his involvement in the alleged voter fraud scheme?

Joe Garcia’s shifty and shady response to this voter fraud scandal is extremely troubling. Congressman Garcia needs to stop with the slippery double-talk and finally explain why he is allowing one of his top staffers to remain on his taxpayer-funded salary while being investigated for breaking the law. So far, the lack of answers from Congressman Garcia and his operation only raises more questions – it’s no wonder public trust in him is quickly eroding.

The post Alleged Voter Fraud Scheme in Florida! appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.