Former Republican Party chairman Jim Greer was sentenced to 18 months in prison last year for stealing party money. But according to St. Petersburg author Peter Golenbock, Greer chose to plead guilty rather than opting for a trial that could have exposed party officials.
"Greer still would have gone free if his best friend, Charlie Crist, had come to his defense," he said. "When Charlie says that this book holds the words of a sad, desperate felon, I fume," Golenbock said, "because the only one who was desperate was Charlie, whose lie helped make Jim Greer a felon."
Golenbock said that the disloyalty of Crist and many former heads of the Republican party has deeper implications for American politics as a whole.
"Democracy in Florida, and perhaps in many states in America, is on life support," he said. "Politics is now about making money for wealthy, white men."
Jim Greer was released from prison last week. Peter Golenbock's book is titled The Chairman: The Rise and Betrayal of Jim Greer.
