Democratic lawmakers launch probe of fired AG investigators

Two Democratic lawmakers continued Thursday to hammer state Attorney General Pam Bondi with questions and records requests concerning her dismissal of two foreclosure fraud investigators in May.

State Rep. Darren Soto of Orlando and state Sen. Eleanor Sobel of Hollywood asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday to review the forced resignations of Assistant Attorneys General June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards.

Thursday, the lawmakers said they were launching a probe of their own, a move Bondi's office called "politically motivated."

Clarkson and Edwards had received high performance marks from Bondi's predecessor, Bill McCollum. The two said this week that their dismissals were "sudden" and that the order, they were told, had come "from the top."

Critics have suggested the terminations were political because Clarkson and Edwards were investigating at least one company, Lender Processing Services, that contributed to the state GOP and several GOP candidates, including Bondi.

Bondi denies politics played any role and said she stands by the decision, which she attributed to three senior managers in her office. One of those managers, Deputy Attorney General Carlos Muniz, has cited several performance-based reasons for the pair's dismissal, including "judgment in discussing matters related to pending investigations with third parties."

Bondi has acknowledged a lack of documentation of the ousters and has asked the inspector general in Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater's office to review the situation.

Soto and Sobel's probe could create new headaches for Bondi, and possibly for Gov. Rick Scott.

The two lawmakers are probing a possible connection between the terminations and Joe Jacquot, Bondi's former special counsel who left to become a senior vice president at Lender Processing Services shortly before Clarkson and Edwards were dismissed. Soto and Sobel also are raising questions about Provest, a Tampa-based mortgage servicing company that Edwards and Clarkson were investigating, and about an unnamed LPS executive who previously worked for Scott's former health care company, Solantic.

Jacquot, who was deputy attorney general under McCollum, did not respond to a request for comment.

Soto and Sobel are requesting that Bondi turn over written and electronic communications, including text messages, between LPS, Provest, Jacquot and senior managers in Bondi's office.

Bondi spokeswoman Jennifer Meale responded late Thursday: "While these requests are politically motivated and not made in good faith, we will, of course, comply with public records law."