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Ex-GOP chair’s defense to call Bill McCollum as witness

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Former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer’s defense attorney said today he will try to disqualify Attorney General Bill McCollum from prosecuting the case — and call the GOP candidate for governor as a defense witness for Greer.

Attorney Cheney Mason said at a news conference he will seek dismissal of the state’s charges of grand theft, money laundering and organized fraud against Greer. He said the search warrant used to gather evidence against Greer was insufficient and that no crime occurred when Greer, as RPOF chairman, contracted with a consulting firm, Victory Strategies LLC, Greer and former party executive director Delmar Johnson had formed.

Mason said top party officials knew about Victory Strategies from the start. He also said they knew about a severance package at the heart of a civil suit Greer has filed against the party.

Mason said he will seek depositions before the Aug. 24 Republican primary, in which McCollum faces Naples businessman Rick Scott in a hot race for governor. Mason said he will also seek to take depositions from House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, Senate President-designate Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, and state Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who succeeded Greer as chairman of the state party last February. Continue reading here.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.

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