Biff_Poindexter
Diamond Member
"Law enforcement officials on Wednesday raided the Palmetto Bay home of former Miami state Sen. Frank Artiles, who is believed to be tied to a state investigation involving a no-party candidate who likely swayed a key Miami-Dade Senate race. Artiles’ involvement in the race is that he recruited and boasted about planting Alex Rodriguez, an auto-parts dealer, in Miami-Dade’s Senate District 37 race. Rodriguez ran as a no-party candidate, shared the same surname as the incumbent Democrat, and his mysterious candidacy has been under investigation since last November. Miami Republican Ileana Garcia won after a three-day recount by just 32 votes out of more than 215,000 cast. She beat Democratic incumbent Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez.
Over drinks at an election night party, Artiles publicly bragged about planting Alex Rodriguez, a longtime acquaintance and Facebook friend -- “That is me, that was all me,” Artiles told a crowd at Liam Fitzpatrick’s restaurant in Lake Mary, where Sen. Jason Brodeur was holding his election night party. Senate Republican leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations raised against Artiles since the Herald broke the story. Artiles resigned from the Senate in disgrace in 2017 amid two parallel scandals. The first was an alcohol-fueled rant in which he called two Black lawmakers a racist slur in a Tallahassee bar. The second involved the hiring of a former Hooters “calendar girl” and a Playboy model with no political experience as “consultants” using funds from his political committee."
All I can say is.....why the hell isn't this guy a front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nominee??