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Soto, Sobel ask feds to review Bondi’s dismissal of attorneys

Posted Aug 3, 2011 by Catherine Whittenburg, Tallahassee bureau

Updated Aug 3, 2011 at 10:12 AM

Democratic state Rep. Darren Soto and Sen. Eleanor Sobel have released a letter they’ve sent to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting a federal review of state Attorney General Pam Bondi’s ouster of two foreclosure fraud investigators, June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards.

Soto told the Tampa Tribune last week that he intended to request a Justice investigation, which Sobel said she was likewise considering. Yesterday, Bondi announced that she would ask an outside inspector general to review the two attorneys’ terminations.

Soto said yesterday that Bondi’s decision was a step in the right direction, but that he would be contacting DOJ anyway. The letter that he and Sobel released today states:

“It has come to our attention that two assistant attorney generals, Theresa Edwards and June Clarkson, were recently terminated by the Florida Attorney General’s Office for poor performance.  However, public records indicate that these terminations occurred while Ms. Edwards and Ms. Clarkson were in the midst of successful mortgage fraud litigation and in spite of prior successful reviews.  As legislators representing areas ravaged by foreclosure fraud and in the interest of our constituents, we believe these terminations present an overwhelming public concern.  We have provided their most recent performance reviews and statement(s) by Theresa Edwards and June Clarkson in support hereof.

“REQUEST IS HEREBY MADE for your office to review these materials and to determine whether further action is required.  These terminations have been the subject of numerous articles and intense public outcry in light of the extensive mortgage fraud that has occurred in this state and the possibility that these terminations may have been motivated by outside special interests.  We believe it is in the public’s best interest that these issues be reviewed by an investigatory agency not directly associated with the State of Florida in an effort to get the most neutral review.”

Soto and Sobel include with the letter a statement from Clarkson and Edwards, who say that they were dismissed without any warning and told that the order came “from the top”—a statement that appears to contradict Bondi’s version of events. According to the Attorney General, she gave no such directive and said the decision was made by senior managers in her office.

Bondi said yesterday that she stands by the decision but is disturbed about her office’s lack of documentation about the terminations.