Florida Gov. Rick Scott has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether a revered 86-year-old Medal of Honor recipient was paid $84,000 a year for a job he didn't do.

Retired Air Force Col. George "Bud" Day was shot down and spent five years and seven months in a North Vietnamese prison. He was also a backer in the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group questioning Sen. John Kerry's military service.

The 86-year-old attorney campaigned for state Public Defender James Owens in 2009 and was later hired to oversee a local office. Some employees claimed Day did little more than drink coffee and read the newspaper before leaving the office each day.

Day says the investigation is politically motivated and the allegations aren't true.