Crist-Crossing

The Herald/Times interviewed a dismissive Charlie Crist about his fundraising double-talk after turning on his prior statement last week saying he would "be happy" to release the database of his campaign donors.

One comment on The Buzz segment of tampabay.com replies,

So, you are attacking him for not releasing the data? You know that he HAS to report it on July 20th right? And that it is immediately available from the Federal Election Commission as soon as they file? What makes you, the media, more privileged than the public to get the data early? It would be one thing if he missed the deadline or didn't follow the disclosure requirements. You guys are just barking up a tree that doesn't make sense. Start shoving cameras in his face on this on July 21st if he hasn't filed yet. Can't you wait a couple of days!? - Axe

And not really. The FEC wouldn't need it by July 20th, but July 15th. FEC quarterly report schedule.

July Quarterly Congressional [HTML] [PDF] Presidential [HTML] [PDF]

June 30, 2009 (Books Close)

July 15, 2009 (Reporting Deadline)

The bottom line, however, is that Crist gave the Herald/Times reporter, the public and his constituents a run-around, contradicting what he told us prior and also within the new interview.

In retrospect of last week, the Miami Herald reports:

Crist said he would make his info available in a database-type format, though he wasn't sure what Excel was.

"We'd be happy to...We'd be happy to accommodate to the very best of our abilities," Crist said.

Q: So would you be willing to apply the standard used for state campaign finance reporting?

Crist: "We'd be happy to try, sure." - Miami Herald

Yet Crist says to the reporter that sending the data base information is challenging because they were relatively successful. He finalizes his answer with, "we'll adhere to the letter of the law." When the reporter asks Crist why it is so difficult when the information is already compiled and sitting with the campaign, he dismissively replies once more with, "we'll adhere to the letter of the law" and that "the data is available to anybody who wants it."

No. No its not. Nor is it challenging to retrieve the list from the database that the campaign has already stored. The success of his campaign donors has nothing to do with the list if it is already made. Maybe Crist himself doesn't know what a query is, which I suspect because even excel is a new concept altogether for him. Excel and the US government.

According to the FEC deadline, he has not regarded the law after all.

Later in the video, while entering his SUV, he was asked once more what changed his mind over his finance disclosure. "nothing..." and trails off with, "I said we would try."

"But you're not," the reporter says at last.