On this date one year ago, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” first profiled Anthony Sabatini, a member of the Florida House of Representatives who won office for the first time in 2018 after winning a plurality of votes in the GOP primary against two opponents, and defeating Democrat Cynthia Brown with 56% of the vote in the general election. That was even though in October of 2018, photos emerged of Sabatini in blackface.
Now, there are some examples of this from modern politicians and they shrug and say, “it was a different time” and the photos are from the 1960s or 1970s is a pattern we’ve seen. Sabatini, however, doesn’t have the benefit of time being on his side, because the photos of him are from 2005. But he assured the Orlando Sentinel that he wouldn’t be resigning. And then, the photo emerged of Sabatini dressed up as a “Mexican” wearing brownface from 2004, and that he drove around a car painted up with a Confederate flag like the General Lee from Dukes of Hazard. He apparently spent most of his high school days throwing themed parties encouraging people to dress up as stereotypes.
Perhaps this would be a good time to also point out that while a city commissioner for the city of Eustis, Anthony Sabatini responded to national news of Confederate statues being removed to have them all brought to his town to be displayed. And that in May of 2018, he posted video from “The Planet of the Apes” and claimed it was former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
But, y’know, it’s not like there’s a pattern on display showing he’s racist.
Well, six months after he was in office, Sabatini’s true colors continued to be on display, as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, Michael Williams, posted a video of a Trump supporter at an Orlando rally attacking him, trying to slap his phone out of his hand and threatening him (the attacker was arrested and charged with battery). However, Williams and most everyone else were disgusted when Sabatini responded to the video of his assault by commenting, “MAGA” to it. Williams then asked Sabatini to explain his “MAGA” tweet, and Sabatini answered, “The most appropriate reaction to the deliberately biased and distorted coverage of the rally by the anti-Trump Orlando Sentinel yesterday is to not comment on its spin and sensation, but to ignore the content and reply with the peaceful phrase they hate – MAGA.” Williams referred him specifically not towards the rally, but towards his assault, asking in a follow-up, “Is this conduct you condone?” Sabatini then said Williams was “illiterate and a modern journalist,” before later telling the Orlando Sentinel that “You’re searching for incidents that were very rare at the event in order to cast a dark, negative light on the event.”
In 2020, Anthony Sabatini, along with Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva and Florida Congressman and alleged child sex trafficker Matt Gaetz were all exposed at CPAC 2020 to a man who later tested positive for Covid-19. And so, he did what someone should and self-quarantined… BUT ONLY FOR ONE DAY. His status as a Covidiot is highly determined, however, as he has filed no less than 14 lawsuits against Manatee Country to try and prevent any mask mandates whatsoever. Which, in Florida, isn’t exactly a draconian, oppressive thing, given the stupidity of Gov. DeSantis.
And, like you would expect this racist troll might do, on Nov 21st, 2020, he took to Twitter to not just give his support for accused-murderer-on-trial-who-hangs-out-with racist-hate-groups-on-parole Kyle Rittenhouse, but encouraged the young homicidal maniac to run for Congress.
Six weeks later, and Anthony Sabatini, like many Republicans, had to reckon with the aftermath on the failed coup attempt carried out by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol. In a very telling move, Sabatini chose to push even harder for the insurrectionists to target specific Republicans he felt were “without courage” and didn’t support Trump’s attempt to seize power, including Mitt Romney, Susan Murkowski, and Liz Cheney. The latter of whom he claimed was a “national security threat”.
As we have dreaded, this race-baiting, deranged bomb-thrower within the GOP has designs on higher office, and in 2022, he’s going to try run for Congress in Florida’s 11th Congressional District, where he’ll be challenging one of the founders of the House Freedom Caucus, Daniel Webster, who is somehow, don’t ask us how, the more palatable of the two. If Webster does anything good in his career as a Republican in Congress, it will be to be the blockade against Anthony Sabatini wandering into Washington, D.C.
One Year Ago, April 27th, 2020: Anthony Sabatini (FL)… Original Profile
Two Years Ago, April 27th, 2019: Augustus Invictus (FL)
Three Years Ago, April 27th, 2018: Sheri Few (SC)
Four Years Ago, April 27th, 2017: Curt Clawson (FL)… 2017 Update
Five Years Ago. April 27th, 2016: Curt Clawson (FL)… 2016 Update
Six Years Ago: April 27th, 2015: Curt Clawson (FL)… Original Profile