Anthony Sabatini, a strongly pro-Trump Florida State Rep, has claimed swamp Republicans blocked him from committee positions for his views.
In a letter posted to Twitter, Florida State Rep Anthony Sabatini, one of the most pro-Trump Republican members of the Florida House, revealed that he was only given four legislative committee assignments, with every other non-commitee chair receiving either five, six, or seven. Sabatini was also the sole second-term Republican to not be given a chairmanship, vice-chairmanship, or whip position.
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls at the time claimed it was simply “accidental.” Sabatini formally requested that he correct the “error” by being appointed to a similar number of committees as his colleagues. However, as Sabatini noted, Speaker Sprowls “has the power and authority to instantaneously correct the commitee assignments”.
“[As a result], it seems it would be extremely difficult to counter the assertion that the committee assignment – in addition to the decision to be denied a chairmanship, vice-chairmanship or whip position – could be understood to be something other than intentional treatment considering the quickness in which it could be remedied and the modesty of the request,” said Sabatini.
Speaking to Media Right News, Sabatini said that Speaker Sprowls is against many of the things he stands for. “I filed constitutional carry, campus carry, etc…. [but Sprowls] killed all the bills. I filed a bill to end the state’s ability to make mandatory vaccinations during an ’emergency.’ And sued 14 cities that have face mask laws. [Sprowls] is against all of that.”
An opinion article posted in the Orlando Sentinel seems to back up the possibility that he was attacked for supporting America First policies. The article directly calls upon Sprowls to “bench” Sabatini for his comments, including defending Kyle Rittenhouse:
New House Speaker Chris Sprowls has started handing out committee assignments in the Florida House. If Sprowls wants to make it clear that Sabatini’s incendiary stunts don’t reflect the Speaker’s own values, he’ll sideline Sabatini – and not let him anywhere near the crafting of public policy in this state. We’ll see if Sprowls is interested in pursuing a serious policy agenda or in playing footsies with extremists.
As of Saturday, Sprowls has yet to assign Sabatini to any committee positions. “Whether I was targeted for being an outspoke conservative or whether it was ‘unintentional’ is still to be determined,” he tweeted.
DAY 2 since I’ve been denied an amount of Committee assignments equal to my colleagues by Speaker @ChrisSprowls—whether I was targeted for being an outspoken conservative or whether it was “unintentional” is still to be determined. @FLGOPMajority https://t.co/COWLjEO6mH
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) December 19, 2020
Speaking exclusively to National File, Sabatini said that if the problem wasn’t fixed, “then it’s clear I’ve been targeted and attacked for being an outspoken, principled, pro-Trump conservative. Establishment Republicans attacking conservative members is not leadership – it’s petty, divisive, and sends a negative message to the conservative voters of our state.”
Sabatini has also spoken out strongly in favour of the recent planned challenge against the Electoral College votes of contested states in Congress on January 6th. Arizona State Representative Anthony Kern hinted to National File that Representative Andy Biggs will likely change the state’s 11 votes. Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville may also issue a challenge in the Senate.
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS: OBJECT ON JANUARY 6TH!
— Rep. Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) December 18, 2020
