At Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Gov. Charlie Crist urged a three-member team of state auditors to be more aggressive in finding out who was responsible for the investment choices that resulted in last fall's meltdown of a local government investment pool. 

"I really want you to dig in and instruct the law firm to be an independent counsel," Crist told Kim Ferrell, the audit team member from Attorney General Bill McCollum's office. "It's very important to me." Ferrell, in updating the Cabinet, reported that the audit team has hired the law firm of Berger Singerman as its outside counsel. The firm's name partner, Mitchell Berger, is a leading Democratic politico.   

Audit team member Doug Darling from CFO Alex Sink's office said Berger Singerman was chosen from a competitive process. Crist said he did not consider it ironic that a firm led by a major Democrat is in charge of finding the truth in the investment-pool meltdown. "It doesn't make them bad, does it?" Crist said.