Top FL newspaper slams 'bully' ousted commissioner as 'Miami’s own Donald Trump'
The Miami commissioner who was "accused of illegal campaign schemes and selling his vote for political contributions," according to The Miami Herald, arrested and suspended by Florida governor and 2024 GOP candidate Ron DeSantis, is claiming that he's "the victim of a conspiracy by liberal state attorneys."
In an op-ed published Wednesday, the Herald's editorial board compared Alex Diaz de la Portilla's behavior to ex-President Donald Trump's amid his ongoing legal trouble.
The ousted leader's "political committee is running mailers in Broward County — where residents cannot vote for him — attacking Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor, whose office filed the charges that got the commissioner arrested in September and later removed by the governor," the board writes.
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"It's easier to fight legal battles and attack your accusers when you're not the one footing the bill," the board suggests. "If Diaz de la Portilla is truly innocent, he should let a jury of his peers determine that. Right now, he’s acting like a bully."
According to the editorial, "The Spanish-language ads, first reported by Channel 10, call Pryor a 'leftist,' 'shameless' and a 'liar' who 'attacks and defames our Commissioner Diaz de la Portilla.' He told the Herald Editorial Board his committee 'will be mailing again this week more truths about this defamer and liar."
The editors write, "Instead of waiting for their day in court, both men have viciously attacked the legal system — including a judge and his staff, in Trump's case."
Additionally, the Herald notes, "Also reprehensible is how Diaz de la Portilla is running for reelection when it's likely that, if he wins, the governor will remove him again. That would leave his constituents without representation and put the City Commission in a bind, having to decide whether to appoint someone to replace him or spend tax dollars to run a special election."
The board emphasizes, "In Diaz de la Portilla’s twisted narrative, he is Miami’s own Donald Trump.
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The full editorial is here.
