Former President Donald Trump may no longer be in office, but the standard he set for elected officials continues to inspire some of his supporters in government to go low.
Such was the case in Brevard County, Florida—a county Trump won by nearly 17 points, and where each of the county's five commissioners is a Republican.
Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post reports that, momentarily unconcerned with more pressing issues facing Brevard, these county commissioners passed a resolution on February 9 to "honor" a local opinion writer's departure to Miami. The writer, Isadora Rangel of Florida Today, was known for her critical accounts of local Republican officials.
To commemorate Rangel's move to the Miami Herald, Brevard County commissioner John Tobia introduced a resolution to the board.
Watch below.
It read in part:
"Whereas because of her eloquent prose the circulation of Florida Today dropped only 16 percent during her tenure,
Whereas her dedication to Brevard is exemplified by her accepting a position with the Miami Herald a mere three years after coming here,
And whereas her liberal views will be sorely missed by the Brevard Democrats alike …"
Later, Commissioner Bryan Lober offered two amendments to the resolution.
The first was:
"Whereas throughout her employment with Florida Today, Ms. Rangel never once let the fact that she's forbidden from voting in this county deter her from commenting on our politics and criticizing numerous Republican elected officials."
Lober then touted a less "palatable" line swiping at Rangel, who moved to the U.S. from Brazil in 2006 and remains a permanent resident, for her immigration status.
It read:
"Whereas … Ms. Rangel deserves recognition for selflessly remaining in this country, not withstanding our nearly tenfold higher per capita GDP and approximately one-sixth the murder rate of the country from which she hails."
Commissioner Tobia said he didn't disagree with the second edit offered by Lober, but mockingly struck it down so that the resolution would pass—which it did, unanimously.
Rangel told the Post:
"They feel entitled to use that time devoted to county issues for personal issues. Is that really what government is about? Is it the job of an elected official to use his official position to go on personal tirades and issue attacks against people?"
She also addressed the resolution on Twitter.
Many who got wind of the meeting saw their bigotry as an embodiment of the GOP in general.
They rallied to support Rangel.
In comments to the Post regarding the backlash, Lober claimed that Rangel's job "should have been to report the news, not to contort it to fit a recurring, prejudiced agenda," even though she is an opinion writer.
