Governor Rick Scott's office has released its account of the circumstances that led up to the resignation of former FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.
The department reports to Governor Rick Scott, who recently appointed a new Commissioner to the agency's top job: Rick Swearingen.
In a statement sent out by Scott's press office, the agency offers its take on some of Bailey's claims against the Governor's office--such whether Scott's staff tried to get Bailey to falsely target the former Orange County Clerk of Court in an investigation into the escape of several prison inmates.
Scott Administration Statement:
Q: Did Governor’s staff direct Bailey to target Interim Orange County Clerk Colleen Reilly as part of the investigation of two escaped inmates? ·No, Frank Collins met with FDLE communications personnel to help coordinate an FDLE press conference. Bailey asked to speak with Collins and FDLE communications staff before the press conference. ·The discussions with Bailey were about how to provide the most complete account of who could have been involved in the high -profile escape of two inmates, which included both the Clerk’s Office and the Department of Corrections. ·The discussion was not about targeting any individual.
Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam joined a growing number of people and groups calling for an investigation into ion into Bailey's ouster.
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