Crist campaign buys furniture and office gear from former GOP Chairman Jim Greer

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Charlie Crist has said he's "disappointed" in his former hand-picked Republican Party chairman, Jim Greer, who faces fraud charges for allegedly bilking the state GOP.

But sometime in the last campaign finance quarter, Crist's now-independent Senate campaign paid Greer $1,529.89 for "office equipment and furniture," according to his latest campaign finance report.

Just when the expense was rung up or what it was specifically for is unclear. Crist said he didn't know what it was for.

"If I knew, I would tell you," he said.

The detail from the campaign's 800-page report is a reminder of how close Greer and Crist were.

For months, Crist refused to jettison Greer as more and more Republicans complained the chairman was running the party into the ground.

Meanwhile, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Greer was engaging in questionable contracts on behalf of the party and even submitted an ersatz bill for a fake poll for Crist's Senate campaign.

Greer was arrested in June, charged with theft, money laundering and orchestrating a scheme to defraud. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.