As the weeks counted down to the August 2022 primary, several top GOP consultants and a prominent Tallahassee attorney exchanged a flurry of messages about a tight Lake County state House race.
Those messages had to do with Elizabeth Cornell, a financial planner, political newcomer and one of four candidates in the Republican primary.
Cornell finished in last place in the primary, receiving just less than 20% of the vote after a far-right blogger accused her of cheating elderly clients and having an extramarital affair. But now she is suing that blogger, Proud Boys associate Jacob Engels, and seeking to establish his connection to GOP bigshots who allegedly sought to undermine her campaign.
Still in its early stages, the lawsuit has sprung loose only tantalizing clues to date, like the existence but not the content of the consultants’ messages about her. But her attorney, Ricardo Reyes, is convinced he can paint a more detailed picture.
Already, he has revealed that a committee chaired by Republican operative Stafford Jones paid for mailer ads repeating claims Engels’ made on his blog, featuring the same graphic Engels used at the top of one of the blog posts. Companies controlled by political consultant James Blair produced those ads, and also “text-blasted” a link to Engels’ blog posts to voters, Reyes has said.
Over the past several weeks, Orange County Judge James Craner has signed orders telling Blair and Jones they must turn over records of interest to Cornell. Because the documents are to be produced as part of a civil suit, rather than a criminal case, they won’t necessarily become public after they are filed.
Blair and his high-powered consulting firms, Rapid Loop Consulting and Right Aim Media, were ordered to disclose all communications related to Cornell or the blog posts, including those exchanged internally, with third parties and with Engels.
Blair and his firms recently filed message logs but claimed they shouldn’t have to reveal to Cornell the contents of more than a dozen of the messages, citing attorney-client privilege. Prominent Republican Attorney Richard Coates is the sender or recipient of all of those messages, the majority sent before Engels published the first post on July 29.
The logs don’t reveal anything about the content of the messages, simply saying they were for legal “review” or “advice.”
Still they shed light on the connections between Blair, Coates and Jones, and show their interest in the Lake County House race, eventually won by Rep. Taylor Yarkosky. Coates was the registered agent for Yarkosky’s political committee. Republican consultant Ryan Smith also received some of the messages, the log shows.
It’s not clear whether Blair has handed over any records other than the log. A court filing indicates he, his wife Samantha and the firms “will produce non-privileged documents responsive to this request.” That same filing says he and his wife exchanged seven relevant messages but didn’t reveal their contents, citing “spousal privilege.”
Blair is an experienced operative who led campaigns for governor, U.S. Senate, and Congress across the country in 2022, according to his profile on the American Association of Political Consultants’ website. He also served as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis and was a senior advisor during his 2018 campaign. His attorney didn’t respond to an email from the Orlando Sentinel seeking more information about the content of the messages listed in the log. Coates also didn’t respond to a message seeking comment.
Jones declined in an email to elaborate on the content of the messages with Blair. He said earlier this year he has “absolutely nothing to do with what this lady is suing Engels for.”
Reyes also is seeking records from Jones. Craner signed an order on Dec. 12 requiring Jones and Florida Taxpayers Defense to turn over all communications between him and Blair, Smith and anyone employed by or contracted with Right Aim Media or Rapid Loop Consulting regarding the July 29 and Aug. 7 posts.
Jones declined to say whether he had records responsive to that order.
“My attorney wrote the order, so I’m sure it isn’t even remotely what you think it is,” he wrote in an email this week to the Sentinel. He declined to elaborate and his attorney didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.
Craner signed the order on Dec. 12. Jones and Florida Taxpayers Defense have 20 days to comply.
