Who Got Rothstein Money? (And If That Gets Bad, Will They Give It Back?)

Flickr: Hasner on the Move

Lamberti, Lieberman, Hasner, and Bogdanoff: They all got Rothstein $$.

​At the Florida Secretary of State database, you can call up a list of the Florida politicians who accepted campaign contributions from embattled attorney Scott Rothstein. Long, isn't it? Mind you, that doesn't include the contributions he made to the candidates for federal office -- John McCain and Charlie Crist, to name a couple. Nor does it include the many contributions he made directly and bundled on behalf of local politicians.

I'm tempted to list them, but honestly, it's almost easier to list the state politicians who didn't take money from Rothstein. So let's just talk about those who blundered most spectacularly.

The records show that leading Democratic governor candidate Alex Sink took a $500 max contribution from Rothstein on September 2, which happens to be the same day that this post appeared on Daily Pulp -- yep, that Jewish Avenger number. By then, there was quite a bit of circumstantial evidence that Rothstein had a screw loose. I mean, after a guy says he has 43 voices in his head, how do you know which one is writing the check?

Rothstein's support of Sink was, at the time, a slap in the face to her opponent, Republican Bill McCollum, who just might get the last laugh.

Excepting the obvious anxieties of Rothstein friend Charlie Crist, the Republican who may have the most to regret is Florida Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, currently running for the north Broward-south Palm Beach Senate seat vacated by Jeff Atwater. She's got a ton of money from Rothstein -- the $2,750 he's donated since 2006 under his own name is just the tip of the iceberg. Much, much more has come through friends of Rothstein's.

Again, there's no evidence of wrongdoing on Rothstein's part. Just a great many questions on behalf of his investors and the partners at his law firm who joined him at many a political fundraiser.