Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has helped pay the outstanding fines and fees of 32,000 convicted felons in Florida so they could regain their right to vote ahead of the November election, according to a report.
The billionaire and former presidential candidate raised over $16 million for, and donated $5 million to, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, according to Axios.
Bloomberg’s push would benefit ex-cons as part of a 2018 state constitutional amendment allowing felons who have served their time to regain their right to vote.
Before they can regain that right, however, they need to pay any fines, fees or restitution.
In a statement to the news outlet, a representative for Bloomberg said, “The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy and no American should be denied that right. Working together with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, we are determined to end disenfranchisement and the discrimination that has always driven it.”
On Monday, the FRRC shared a New York Times op-ed titled, “This Is How Bloomberg Can Help Biden Win Florida.”
The piece praised his decision to spend $100 million in the Sunshine State to boost Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as he fights a neck-and-neck race against President Trump.
However, it also urged Bloomberg to spend some of his money paying those fines and fees.
“An even more politically effective, and charitable, use of those dollars might be to help pay off the debts of Floridians who have financial obligations related to a felony conviction — as LeBron James and the group behind More Than a Vote did this summer.
“Because of an 11th Circuit appeals court ruling on Sept. 11, an estimated 774,000 Floridians who have already served their time in jail or prison are not eligible to vote in the 2020 election until they pay the fines and fees associated with their sentences,” read the op-ed, authored by computer scientist Dr. Robert Montoye.
It is not clear if the billionaire former mayor saw the piece, which was published just one day before he announced he would be doing just what it suggested.
When announcing his $100 million push for the former vice president earlier this month, Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey argued that the move was beneficial to other swing states as well.
“Voting starts on Sept. 24 in Florida so the need to inject real capital in that state quickly is an urgent need. Mike believes that by investing in Florida it will allow campaign resources and other Democratic resources to be used in other states, in particular the state of Pennsylvania,” Sheekey, who served as campaign manager during Bloomberg’s 2020 run, said in a statement at the time.
Neither representatives for Bloomberg nor the FRRC immediately responded to The Post’s request for comment.
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https://nypost.com/2020/09/23/rep-gaetz-bloomberg-may-face-criminal-probe-for-paying-felons-fines/
Rep. Matt Gaetz warned billionaire Michael Bloomberg that he may be facing a criminal probe for paying outstanding fines of 32,000 convicted felons in Florida so they could vote in the November election.
Speaking to Fox News’ “Hannity” Tuesday evening, Gaetz said he spoke to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody prior to the show about Bloomberg’s voter effort.
The former NYC mayor raised over $16 million for & donated $5 million to, the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
Bloomberg’s push benefits ex-cons as part of a 2018 state constitutional amendment allowing felons to vote.
Before they regain that right however, they need to pay any fines, fees or restitution.
In a statement, a rep for Bloomberg said, “The right to vote is fundamental to democracy & no American should be denied that right. We're determined to end disenfranchisement & the discrimination that's always driven it.”
To Gaetz & Moody, there are legal concerns regarding Bloomberg’s political spending in this specific case.
“I believe there may be a criminal investigation already underway of Bloomberg-connected activities in Florida,” Gaetz told Sean Hannity.
“Under Florida law it’s a felony for someone to directly or indirectly provide something of value to impact votes. So the question is whether paying off fines & legal obligations counts as something of value, and it clearly does. If Bloomberg pays off credit card debts, you obviously see value in that.
“When you improve someone’s net worth by eliminating their liabilities, that’s something of value. Normally, it's very difficult to prove that that was directly linked to impacting whether or not someone votes. But they literally wrote their own admission,” the Florida Republican argued, referencing a Washington Post report.
A memo from Bloomberg obtained by the newspaper, explained the billionaire saw the effort as “a more cost-effective way of adding votes to the Democrat column than investing money to persuade voters who already have the right to vote.”
“We identified a significant vote share that requires nominal investment. The data shows in Florida, Black voters are a unique universe unlike any other voting bloc, where the Democrat support rate tends to be 90%-95%,” the memo read.
Gaetz argued the memo proves this could be bribery.
“The law is clear, this is something of value. I'm encouraged after my conversation with the attorney general. I hope we have law enforcement all over the country looking for cheating & tricks these Democrats are going to try in this election,” he told the network.
In addition to the millions Bloomberg delivered to help felons vote, the one-time presidential candidate announced a $100 million push for Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden.
When announcing the move, Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey argued it's beneficial to other swing states as well.
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