On Monday in his fiery announcement speech former Governor Crist attacked Rick Scott stating he was “flying around Florida in a private jet to hold press conferences.” Yes this is a serious issue but Crist has his own demons on this issue.

As we’ve chronicled previously on this site Charlie Crist, later-day Democrat had a long history of attacking Democratic Governor Lawton Chiles on various issues. Prior to his own abuses in terms of travel, and long before Rick Scott even lived in Florida, Crist was playing this card.

Here is a link to a Sun Sentinel story detailing Crist’s comments about Chiles. 

Perhaps it is part of a populist mantra that Crist has adopted  to attack private jet use. Certainly this is an issue that has resonated in the past but Crist forgets his own history on the subject evidently.

In 2001 while running for Attorney General and serving as Commissioner of Education, Crist was accused in an ethics complaint of using a state plane to attend campaign events. 

In 2009, the Sun Sentinel reported that Crist was flying regularly on private planes owned by Dr. Steven M. Scott and Harry Sargeant. 

Crist had promised to bring a new level of transparency to state government once elected Governor but when it came to this particular issue he was evasive. 

The use of private planes happens all the time in political campaigns. While it is not something ordinary people should be comfortable with, it is a reality. Still, Crist’s use of private planes is of concern because he is making an issue out of it and has before and after his own apparent transgressions. 

Going forward it will be very interesting to see if Crist continues this line of attack against Scott.