Donna Shalala joins Democrats' calls to bring feds into Frank Artiles investigation

Investigators are probing whether Artiles illegally funded a spoiler state Senate candidate last cycle.


Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala is asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a federal investigation into Frank Artiles’ actions in propping up a 2020 state Senate candidate.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office is running its own probe into whether Artiles’ conduct broke campaign finance law. Artiles has been arrested and is facing charges, as is former third-party candidate Alex Rodriguez. Prosecutors say Artiles secretly funneled cash to Rodriguez to help him play spoiler in last November’s Senate District 37 contest.

Last week, Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz pitched a possible expanded investigation, arguing the feds should look into whether any laws have been broken in other Florida contests featuring third-party candidates.

“We’re exploring every option,” Diaz said.

Now, Shalala is joining the push to involve the Justice Department in some capacity as well, floating the idea that Artiles may have “co-conspirators at the local, state, and federal levels.”

Read more: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/414470-shalala-feds-artiles-investigation