Florida’s attorney general on Wednesday asked law enforcement officials to investigate recent fundraising efforts by billionaire and former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg to pay court fees and other fines so people with criminal charges could vote. The same effort has been achieved by high-profile individuals, including NBA megastar LeBron James.
The basis for the investigation was not immediately clear, but it came a day after Bloomberg announced it had collected 16 16 million for the announcement. Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody said he began reviewing the case at the request of the governor of Florida, Ron Descentis, but also Republicans. His letter, addressed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI, includes an article in the Washington Post, which states that 16 16 million has been spent on Bloomberg’s efforts to promote Biden in the state. She included some state and federal laws that make it clear that no one can pay for her vote.
“After primarily reviewing this limited public information and legislation, it seems that further investigations are guaranteed. Accordingly, I urge your agencies to further investigate the matter and take appropriate action as appropriate, ”he said in a brief letter.
A Bloomberg spokesman said the letter was shaped by politics. The spokesman said “this transparent political move” is a recent example of Republicans trying to deprive Floridians. Florida Republican and Trump ally Congressman Matt Gatez also called for an investigation Tuesday.
The campaign was launched by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) after Florida Republicans enacted a 2019 law requiring anyone to pay fines and fees ordered to pay fines and fees as part of their sentence before they can vote again. After Republicans passed legislation, Florida voters allowed the lifting of a lifetime ban on voting for people with heavy misdemeanors, estimating voting rights for up to 1.4 million people in one of the largest extensions to voting rights in U.S. history. Amendments to Republican law have had an effective effect: an estimated 774,000 people cannot vote because they owe money.
The FRRC does not ask about anyone’s biased affiliation when they apply for financial aid. Organizers told the Associated Press and the Washington Post that there was no attempt by voters from any particular party.
“Hell with politics, hell with no other implications or intuition, at the end of the day it’s about real people, real life, American citizens who want to be a part of this,” said Desmond Meade, the group’s executive director. This week A.P.
“Different people can give for different reasons, but we are for this one reason, and that reason is to give people a place in politics,” Mee told the Washington Post. “We relate to people from all walks of life, from all kinds of politics.”
Pamela Carlan, a professor at Stadford Law School, said federal laws quoted in Moody’s letter were rarely used.
“That’s not to say that an extremely jealous lawyer, eager to suppress voting among returning citizens, fundraisers – or even citizens whose fees were paid and then will not try even after they try to vote.” “But the idea that we should use government resources to make it harder for people to vote is really outrageous.”
Franita Tolsson, a law professor at the University of Southern California, noted that Florida attorneys indicated in court that the amount of voting tax that people are required to pay in fines and fees is not. Rejecting the argument that someone objected to the payment of fines and fees, he said in an email.
“There is a cognitive disagreement between the state’s arguments during the judgment that the law requiring all fines and fees to be paid before voting is not a voting tax and that its current status represents a kind of vote-buying by Bloomberg.” Said. “Either this is a voting tax or not, but it can’t be one or the other.”
Moody’s letter suggests that Florida may be more interested in blocking voting than recovering arrears, said Julie Ebenstein, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped challenge the 2019 law.
“Florida has created an unconstitutional system that prohibits people from voting until their debts are paid. Now it is against the state in paying off the debts. The state seems intent on preventing voting instead of collecting payments, ”he said.
The FBI did not receive an official copy of Moody’s letter Wednesday afternoon, said spokeswoman Andrea Apria. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.
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