Ex-Florida Gov. Crist Accused of Covering Up Gay Affairs
Charlie Crist, the former governor of Florida, is being accused of paying two men to hide gay affairs, Florida news station WTSP reported.
The news station got hold of documents that said the charges against Crist were related to the investigation of Jim Greer -- the former Republican Party of Florida Chairman.
Greer was removed from office due to several controversies involving the GOP's finances and his own personal spending. He was arrested in 2010 after he was indicted on six felony charges and four counts of grand theft. Greer allegedly schemed to take over $100,000 from the party through a fundraising company he created.
During the scandal, Crist said he had no knowledge of Greer's schemes but Greer's attorney Damon Chase says that Crist approved the plan. Chase is also responsible for making the latest claims that the former governor is gay.
WTSP reports that the newly released documents say that Crist paid two men to flee Florida in order to hide his sexual orientation. The report details an exchange between Chase and John Morgan, the owner of a law firm where Crist currently works.
"Charlie Crist is a homosexual and had homosexual relationships with at least two men who were paid to leave the state to avoid embarrassing then Governor Crist," the document says.
"Charlie Crist attempted to kiss Greer at a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif."
"Gov. Crist had drunken escapades and his security detail had to cover for him."
Morgan responded to the allegations and said if Crist were gay it would not impact the case and that the allegations are only intended to embarrass the former governor. Crist talked with WTSP and responded to the allegations as well.
"Obviously these are delusional lies these guys are making up. It's sad and pathetic,'' he said. "I don't care what stories they make up, I'm not going to lie."
Gay rumors have plagued Crist since he started his career. He married his first wife Amanda Morrow for less than a year in 1979. In 2008 he married Carole Rome, after dating for 9 months. A year later, Crist was the subject of a documentary called "Outrage," which purports politicians who are not out and are against LGBT rights.
Many gay men in the Tampa area have alleged that they saw Crist regularly in bars around town before he was groomed as a comer in GOP politics. A bartender has told reporters he served him, and at least one bar owner maintains he was cordial with him when he came in for a round.
In 2010, Crist told CNN that he was against marriage equality and that he wanted to ban same-sex marriage on the federal level.
"When it comes to marriage, I think it is a sacred institution, I believe it is between a man and a woman," Crist said. He added that he sees "no problem" if unmarried couples live together. "It's just how I feel," he said.