Former Florida GOP Leader: Party Openly Discussed Suppressing African-American Vote

The former chair of the Republican Party in Florida has claimed top party officials openly discussed suppressing the state’s African-American vote. In a lengthy deposition submitted for his ongoing corruption case, Jim Greer says of a December 2009 meeting: "I was upset because the political consultants and staff were talking about voter suppression and keeping blacks from voting." He continues: "They talked about not letting blacks vote ... and minority outreach programs were not fit for the Republican Party." His comments come amidst Florida’s standoff with the Justice Department and civil rights groups over a voter purge that critics say particularly targets people of color. In recent weeks, at least two top Republican state lawmakers — state Senator Glenn Grothmann in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai — have predicted that restrictive voter ID laws will help Republican candidate Mitt Romney win their states in November.

Former Florida GOP Leader: Party Openly Discussed Suppressing African-American Vote