Senator Marco Rubio (R – Florida), one of the top contenders for Vice President on the losing Republican presidential ticket, is sticking by David Rivera, the Christine O’Donnell of Florida.
Rivera is the very controversial Florida U.S. House member who remains under FBI and IRS investigation for a series of campaign finance irregularities that led Miami-Dade prosecutors to conclude recently that the Sunshine State Republican “essentially live[d] off” donations from campaign contributors for the better part of a decade. (Those prosecutors did not bring criminal charges against Rivera — though it’s worth reading the full 16-page memo on their findings here.)
Rubio has said they have been long-time friends. They have even bought a house together which by the way went into foreclosure. Rubio said:
He’s a friend. I mean, he’s a friend I’ve known on a personal level even before I was elected or he was elected to office. So look, I know he’s going through a tough time. And we’ve all read the press reports and none of us like to see that about anybody, much less a friend. And he’s going to have to deal with those issues.
The countdown has begun when Rubio will drop Rivera like a hot potato.