Rep. Fabian Basabe Says the Voting-Site Video Was Edited and Calls It Propagandist Spin
State Rep. Fabian Basabe has answered the video of a Miami Beach officer warning him over a microphone at the City Hall early voting site, telling Red Sidewalks the clip was edited, leaves out the other speakers, and amounts to spin for an opponent who will not debate him.
State Rep. Fabian Basabe has responded to the video that showed a Miami Beach police officer warning him he would be ticketed for being too loud on a microphone at the City Hall early voting site. In a statement to Red Sidewalks, which published the update Saturday afternoon, Basabe said the clip posted on X by political activist Thomas Kennedy was edited and leaves out the competing speakers and the full exchange.
"Propagandist spin in lieu of my opponent's presence," Basabe wrote, arguing that his opponent still will not debate him and that edited clips cannot replace a live debate. "I can take the political hits so the good people I represent don't have to," he wrote. "I consistently represent everyone fairly. FREE SPEECH MATTERS." He also sent the outlet an Instagram video of himself published by Linda Catalina.
The limits of the record still apply to both sides. Red Sidewalks says it has not seen the full exchange at City Hall and has not confirmed the claims in Basabe's statement, and it has not confirmed what the Instagram video he sent shows. Its original report likewise reviewed Kennedy's video without independently confirming the post's account, and found no police report or police statement; whether any ticket was issued remains unconfirmed. Basabe's statement also pointed to his opponent's husband and a law-firm co-owner and to CAIR; the publisher notes the CAIR designation he referenced is a Sept. 29 state designation by Florida's governor and Cabinet - the federal government has not made one, and CAIR is challenging the state designation in federal court, according to WLRN.
Basabe, a Republican, represents Florida House District 106 and is on Tuesday's ballot, challenged by Lucia Baez-Geller, a former Miami-Dade School Board member, according to CBS Miami. The site in the video, Miami Beach City Hall at 1700 Convention Center Drive, is one of Miami-Dade's 28 early voting locations, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, November 1.
