New charges have emerged from the ongoing claims over former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's sexuality and his desire to keep his alleged gay affairs secret. The latest claim is that the Republican governor appointed Sen. George LeMieux to keep him quiet about Crist's secret life.
Crist has denied the claims, which were first given press attention on June 8.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Investigative Report, Republican Party of Florida President Jim Greer's attorney Damon Chase had threatened to reveal in a potential deposition of Crist that the then-governor was gay and “had homosexual relationships with at least two men who were paid to leave the state to avoid embarrassing” him.
In other allegations, reported by the Huffington Post, Chase also claimed that he would testify that Crist had “kissed or attempted to kiss Greer” at a California hotel, and in a separate incident had attempted to “run people over while intoxicated and operating a golf cart.”
Crist, who in the past has expressed concern that Greer was trying to extort him, has called the claims “a bunch of delusional lies.”
Greer is now accusing LeMieux of extorting Crist in order to get his Senate appointment, according to a report from television station WTSP. According to Greer, LeMieux, who was initially a long-shot pick for the seat of retiring Sen. Mel Martinez, was set to be removed from the running. When Greer and Crist’s chief of staff went to deliver the news, however, Greer says LeMieux responded by telling them, “After all I did for him, we’ll see.”
WTSP goes on to report that Greer says Lemieux had an unscheduled meeting with the governor and, 20 minutes later, he got a call saying LeMieux was the Senate choice.
Greer thinks LeMieux pressured Crist. However, LeMieux simply expains, “I asked for an interview. I got an interview. And that’s how it happened.”
