GOP prosecutors threaten criminal charges to bury ‘dark money’ bombshell: report

Prosecutors in Florida are warning TV stations of a legal price for airing one campaign ad aimed at a top Republican.The Tampa Bay Times reported on Tuesday that 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez sent letters to several Tampa Bay-area broadcasters cautioning them against running a Florida Democratic Party ad that hits Attorney General James Uthmeier over a grand jury investigation into Hope Florida. She told stations she wanted them "fully aware of the potential criminal consequences" of doing so.Recipients included WTVT, Spectrum Bay News 9, Telemundo and WTSP. Lopez, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed in 2022 after suspending her elected predecessor, warned that violating the state's grand jury secrecy law is a first-degree misdemeanor that can also bring criminal contempt. "Whether to proceed is your decision, but you do so at your own legal risk," she wrote.State Attorney Brian Haas of the 10th Judicial Circuit sent the same...