Florida attorney general scrutinizing Bloomberg paying fines for felons to vote

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) is asking the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate billionaire Mike Bloomberg’s effort to help felons in Florida register to vote for “potential violations of election laws.”

Bloomberg, a former Democratic presidential hopeful, announced earlier this month that he would spend millions to help convicted Florida felons pay court fees so they can become eligible to vote in the hotly contested swing state. 

Florida passed a law in 2018 reinstating voting rights for up to 1 million felons that dictated they could register only if they complete “all terms” of their sentences. The state legislature and Supreme Court decided that “all terms” includes fines and fees.

“After preliminary reviewing of the limited public information and law, it appears further investigation is warranted,” Moody wrote in a letter to law enforcement, citing news articles about Bloomberg’s fundraising. 

In the letter, Moody says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) asked her to look into the fundraising effort. 

Moody’s letter comes a day after Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz called for an investigation into Bloomberg’s fundraising, which he described as a “bribe.”

“It’s not every felon. It’s just those which they have specifically identified as the Biden voters,” Gaetz said on Fox News. “That’s offering a bribe, an inducement, for someone to behave a certain way in voting.”