Pubdate: Sat, 21 Feb 2015
Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Copyright: 2015 Sun-Sentinel Company
Contact: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-letters-to-the-editor-htmlstory.html
Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159
Author: Anthony, Staff writer

POLITICIAN DENIES FLIP-FLOP ON POT

Lawyer Accuses Representative

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in an interview Friday, 
emphatically rejected an allegation that she offered to change her 
position on medical marijuana in return for a prominent pot activist 
retracting statements critical of the congresswoman.

Wasserman Schultz called the allegation "outrageous" and said the 
purported deal, reported by Politico, is false.

"I wouldn't change my position in exchange for support under any 
circumstances - ever. I'm always very proud to stand in front of my 
constituents and explain when I have a difference of opinion with 
them," she told the Sun Sentinel.

Her accuser, prominent Orlando-based trial lawyer John Morgan, 
responded later Friday that Wasserman Schultz's "offer" of a quid pro 
quo was "crystal clear."

The controversy stems from moves made this week by supporters of 
medical marijuana who went into full attack mode against Wasserman 
Schultz, the Weston Democrat who is chairwoman of the Democratic 
National Committee.

Wasserman Schultz dismayed supporters of medical marijuana - and 
angered Morgan, the state's best known proponent - with her 
opposition to the 2014 referendum that unsuccessfully sought to 
legalize medical marijuana in Florida.

This week, medical marijuana advocates told Politico that Wasserman 
Schultz would suffer in future elections because of her opposition to 
the legalization referendum. They followed up with the explosive 
charge to Politico, claiming she offered to change her position if 
Morgan would retract nasty things he's said about her.

Under the headline "Debbie's Damage Control," Politico reported it 
had emails showing her "office offered to change her position on 
medical marijuana if a major Florida donor [Morgan] recanted his 
withering criticism of her."

Wasserman Schultz said there were no emails from her or her camp. 
Later in the Politico article, it reported the email exchange was 
between Morgan and Ben Pollara, the consultant who ran the 
Morgan-funded pro-referendum campaign last year.

Friday afternoon, Politico reported that as well as emails, it had 
texts between Pollara and a Wasserman Schultz staffer to support its 
contention of a quid pro quo offer.

Here's what Wasserman Schultz said actually happened: After the 
original Politico article, in which some pro-marijuana activists 
suggested they'd be open to a dialogue a Wasserman Schultz staffer 
reached out to Pollara with the message that she wanted to discuss 
the issue because she felt new, more restrictive language being 
crafted for a possible 2016 referendum seemed to address some of her 
concerns with the 2014 referendum.

She thought the proposal that failed last year was too loosely drawn. 
"I was worried that it wasn't going to be covering only the people 
for whom it was intended," she said.

"I've seen the language that they've proposed for the 2016 ballot," 
Wasserman Schultz said. "I was more comfortable with the way the 
language was going.... I wanted to see if, before battle lines were 
drawn again, we could start a conversation." She said that's the kind 
of thing she's done for years in Congress and the state Legislature.

She said there was no suggestion from her or anyone working for her 
that she'd change positions in return for Morgan changing his tune - 
which has been sharply critical. "It was my attempt to make sure that 
we just don't go through the same playbook that happened last fall."

Pollara declined comment.

Morgan said by email that "What Debbie leaves out in her pushback was 
the crystal clear message that her potential support of the new 
amendment was predicated upon me withdrawing my comments to Politico. 
I don't know how to view that as anything but an offer of a quid pro quo."

He wasn't available for an interview Friday. "I am in Maui. Aloha." 
In another email, he wrote "I'm in Hawaii jumping on a plane to visit 
another island and Pearl Harbor."

Later Friday, Morgan sent out a mass email to medical marijuana 
supporters accusing Wasserman Schultz of playing "B.S. politics in 
order to rehabilitate the damage she's done to herself" - and seeking 
contributions to help pay for the 2016 referendum effort.

His views of Wasserman Schultz have varied during the past year. He 
excoriated her when she said she didn't support the medical marijuana 
referendum. After the election, he was softer, saying she was beloved 
in her district and didn't deserve blame for the widespread 
Democratic loses in 2014. This week he castigated her.

The attempts by pro-medical marijuana forces to undermine Wasserman 
Schultz come at a critical time, as she and other Democrats weigh 
whether to seek their party's nomination for U.S. Senate in 2016, a 
calculation that involves assessing potential primary opponents' 
strength and weaknesses and the general election landscape.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., hasn't said whether he'll run for 
president or seek re-election. Florida's election laws would allow 
him to run for the presidency and ultimately run for re-election if 
he doesn't perform well in primaries and caucuses.

Wasserman Schultz said she has two priorities right now: Serving her 
constituents in her Broward/Miami-Dade County congressional district 
and getting a Democrat elected president in 2016.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom