Nikki Fried asks feds to monitor Florida election activities

Nikki Fried
In doing so, Fried voiced a preemptive concern for the integrity of the General Election.

Charging Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders are attempting to “circumvent or override democratic norms” Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried is asking the federal government to watch Florida’s election activities.

In a letter she sent Monday to Kristen Clarke, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights, Fried called for the Department of Justice to closely monitor election-related actions of Florida officials and “take appropriate federal action if necessary.”

In doing so, Fried voiced a preemptive concern for the integrity of the General Election, which may have her contesting DeSantis.

Her letter follows a similar one, with charges and a similar call for action that her Democratic gubernatorial opponent Rep. Charlie Crist sent last week to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Fried cited what she called “discriminatory congressional maps, new voter suppression measures, and a Secretary of State with radical far-right views.” The latter charge was a reference to Cord Byrd, a former three-term Neptune Beach Republican.

She specifically cited SB 90, and another measure establishing Florida’s new election police force. She also explicitly went after Byrd and his wife, Esther Byrd, a recent appointee to the State Board of Education.

“Secretary Byrd and his wife, also a DeSantis appointee, have made supportive comments related to far-right fringe elements such as QAnon and the Proud Boys and have defended individuals involved in the insurrection,” Fried charged.

She called the list of actions she referenced a threat to civil rights in Florida.

“These actions, most recently highlighted by the Florida Supreme Court’s refusal to hear a challenge to the blatantly discriminatory congressional maps handcrafted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, illustrate a deliberate attempt to undermine the will of the people and enshrine one-party rule in the state,” Fried wrote.

“As an independently elected member of the Florida Cabinet, I have a duty to alert your office and our federal partners of these concerning events,” Fried added.

Either Fried or Crist likely would be involved in the election, by winning the Democratic Primary Election for Governor. In polls she and Crist stand well ahead of state Sen. Annette Taddeo in that contest.

The winner would face DeSantis in the November General Election.

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


43 comments

  • Tom

    June 6, 2022 at 4:19 pm

    This fraud is a lunatic.
    2 months left of from this awful candidate.
    So if she loses primary, it’s fixed? Honestly, asking DOJ, that surveilled parents at school board. Fraud is so off kilter, just an embarrassment.

    • Father Flip O'Mally, Bishop Rickles High School

      June 6, 2022 at 4:44 pm

      Tommy boy, you’ve given me my big laugh of the day: you complaining, sarcastically, “So if she loses primary, it’s fixed?”
      How damn ironic is that, coming from a guy who worships Trump and believes Trump’s BS about fixed elections.
      Oh, now tell us, Tommy boy, how wrong it is for any Democrat to voice suspicions about elections. Bless your heart, tell us all about that. We’re ready for another laugh!

      • George Roman

        June 6, 2022 at 5:31 pm

        You really sound like a n idiot Trump lives free in your brain the two brainless wonders krist and fried sounds like a hamburger really what can they do for out state NOTHING

        • For free

          June 6, 2022 at 6:03 pm

          Trump looks like a pizza that got shoved into a tanning bed lol

          • Impeach Biden

            June 6, 2022 at 6:33 pm

            Well Charlie Crist is tanned and we know what he likes shoved up his you know.

      • Tom

        June 6, 2022 at 11:46 pm

        Father, you still hosing sista?
        Come clean father! Repent and be healed. As for me, Tommy boy, the FP legend. My posts are a must read.

        To be clear, fraud is deranged. She’s related to Linda Blair, the Exorcist. She suffers wanting that man thing. Light some candles for her father Flip Wilson. Dems are welcome to question when warranted. Fraud is less than 35% chance to win. Her whining is a cover up, fraud is the queen of cheap, low rent and no class.
        You Dums can have her.

        Glad I make you laugh, life is to short not to. Fraud is atrocious. Chameleon will be annihilated. America’s Gov has no limits! The re elect and road to WH is wide open. Enjoy

        • There’s a difference

          June 7, 2022 at 4:06 am

          “Charlie Crist is tanned”

          He does not scream after you take him out of the oven like trump does though lol

      • Tom

        June 7, 2022 at 6:55 am

        Your right father Flanagan, it’s normal to accept illegal ballots across multiple states.

        Really, you want to compare economies? This moron Biden is still 500,000 over recaptured jobs compared to previous administration economy. We are still not even to where we were Feb of 20. Light a candle father Flanagan. Enjoy!

        • Florida jobs

          June 7, 2022 at 8:53 am

          Your states jobs as chicken farmers and Disney employees does not matter to anyone lol

    • Cody2424

      June 7, 2022 at 9:55 am

      I could not agree more with you. Nikki Fried is a fraud and doesn’t deserve anyone to vote for her. She is a disgrace to the word politician and should be removed from her office immediately. Gov. Ron DeSantis is the best Governor in the United States and she is constantly throwing shade at him. These allegations have no base in reality.

  • Impeach Biden

    June 6, 2022 at 5:33 pm

    Nikki Fried with another conspiracy theory. Ah yes the race card yet again. Maybe she can get the “fake scientist” Rebekah Jones to claim DeSantis is manipulating Monkey Pox numbers. She is toast. I don’t event think an exorcism from Father Flip can save her from her craziness.

    • Just gold

      June 7, 2022 at 4:00 am

      Maybe they can contest every Republican victory now just to get back at you and have their own january 6s outside of republicans houses that would be gold lol

      • Tom

        June 7, 2022 at 6:41 am

        Ok another mental case, just gold, just another idiot. Amazing, you must have twins on this page and beyond.

        • That stuff

          June 7, 2022 at 8:55 am

          Don’t be talking About twins.
          I know how you southern folks are lol

      • Cody2424

        June 7, 2022 at 9:57 am

        Dems have had more attacks on Governmental buildings over the past 5 years than anyone else. Open your eyes and look for yourself. the Left has destroyed the country and continue to do so today. This country has gone down the drain and you people are sitting by and applauding this happening.

        • So I’ll watch

          June 9, 2022 at 8:02 am

          You republicans are gonna spend your golden years watching everything pass you by trying to stop it. Can’t think of anything Better lol

  • Based desantis supporter

    June 6, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    Lmao now hold on I thought dems were sternly telling us that we have to blindly trust the sanctity of our election process. Guess that only applies when a dem wins or controls the process huh? Well we knew that already after dems cried for four years about muh Russia hacking the 2016 election

  • Ron DeSantis sucks

    June 6, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    If Republicans can cry about voter fraud, why shouldn’t Democrats? At least Nikki Fried has legitimate concerns.

    • Based Desantis Supporter

      June 6, 2022 at 10:17 pm

      It’s just hilarious hearing a dem cry about election security after pitifully whining/nagging republicans for questioning the same thing in 2020. Which itself came after 4 years of dems crying about election security for 2016. Democrats: if they didn’t have double standards they’d have no standards at all

      • Ron DeSantis sucks

        June 7, 2022 at 1:32 am

        Republicans whined about voter fraud in 2020 while also accepting any result that was positive for them. No one was claiming that the election in 2016 was rigged — rather, the Democratic party claimed that Russian disinformation was responsible for misleading voters in order to change the outcome of the election. That’s very different. The election in 2016 (and in 2020) were both free and fair, and the results were both valid.

        • Tom

          June 7, 2022 at 6:47 am

          Hey suck hole, Oh yeah your right bout 2016.

          Hillary’s fake Russian hoax, fake mueller hoax, fake impeachment, and fake investigations. Otherwise, 2016 was fair from the pathetic one HRC.
          Go suck some more, suck hole. LMAO

          • Ron DeSantis Sucks

            June 7, 2022 at 9:01 am

            You really like suck holes and sucking. Is there some latent feelings I’m detecting? You can come out, Tom; it’s pride month after all. Be your real self.

          • Tom

            June 7, 2022 at 11:33 am

            You are the suck hole.

          • Ron DeSantis Sucks

            June 7, 2022 at 4:57 pm

            I’m sorry, but I don’t swing that way, Tom. Best of luck in coming to terms with your identity; we will welcome you whenever you’re ready. 🙂

          • Tom

            June 7, 2022 at 6:43 pm

            Suckage:

            Again, your lies don’t cover up your fetish for sucking ass. You are a fake moniker with ignorance and no credibility.

            Your incest is well known, you are a depraved non serious bastard. You are just meaningless static. Stop the sex with your sister you pig. Your moniker glorifies suckage.

            DeSantis whizzes on you and your dummycrats everyday.

          • Ron DeSantis Sucks (and so does Tom!)

            June 7, 2022 at 6:59 pm

            Tom…. the only one talking about sucking, incest, and sleeping with their sisters are you. Methinks thou dost protest too much.

        • Jerry

          June 7, 2022 at 8:27 pm

          You actually believe that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 because Russians took out fake news ads on facebook. You actually truly believe that? You do understand Hillary is probably the most hated politician in this country. It’s been that way for a very long time. It wasn’t the Russians that did that. People just flat out do not like her. Period. It has nothing to do with the Russians. Her favorability rating was LOWER than Trump’s! She can never win an election. And she was certainly not going to win in 2016 because she ran as a strong establishment candidate in an environment that was very anti-establishment.

          And it is still that way. Most of this country is sick and tired of the political establishment. That’s why Congress’s approval rating is 15%. It’s why Biden’s approval rating is one of the lowest ever recorded for a president. It’s why more than 70% of the country disagrees with the direction of the country. This is not the fault of the Russians. This is the fault of the establishments of both political parties that continue to refuse to work to put America first!

          The Democratic party (and their RINO allies in the GOP) have awful candidates. They are not liked. They hate America. And they have absolutely zero solutions to the real problems facing this country.

          • Ron DeSantis Sucks

            June 7, 2022 at 8:40 pm

            I think it was a combination of factors that led to Clinton’s loss in 2016. However, she would have won but for Russia’s disinformation campaign, given how close the election was. And she did win the popular vote (not that it matters).

            Nonetheless, Trump should have been an easy candidate to beat, the fact that he won means Clinton was an awful candidate. Which is true.

          • Tom

            June 8, 2022 at 7:01 am

            Jerry, as the FP legend allow me to say that you make to much sense for Manchurian nation. They are taught by Soros and Dem talking points to obfuscate and misinform. Hence FP Manchurians.

            HRC is as corrupt as a being as possible. All the fake hoax’s like mueller, fake impeachment’s, fake dossier came from her and her minions. Disgraceful.

            To say she was a awful candidate is being kind. She and her party are rotten to core. They have degenerate suck holes as advocates.

          • Tom

            June 8, 2022 at 7:01 am

            Jerry, as the FP legend allow me to say that you make to much sense for Manchurian nation. They are taught by Soros and Dem talking points to obfuscate and misinform. Hence FP Manchurians.

            HRC is as corrupt as a being as possible. All the fake hoax’s like mueller, fake impeachment’s, fake dossier came from her and her minions. Disgraceful.

            To say she was a awful candidate is being kind. She and her party are rotten to core. They have degenerate suck holes as advocates.

        • Tom

          June 7, 2022 at 9:43 pm

          You are the degenerate.
          Fake moniker is suck.
          You made the pride reference which is racist and bigoted.
          You must do that incest stuff as you defend it. Save it degenerate.
          Loser!

          • Ron DeSantis Sucks

            June 8, 2022 at 11:04 am

            You brought up the incest, not me, weirdo.

            Anyway, why are you angry all the time, Tom? Is it because your parents never loved you?

        • Based Desantis Supporter

          June 8, 2022 at 5:03 pm

          Again, the dems started it. The dems were crybabies that began the process of undermining public confidence in our elections. Lest we forget. And they are laying the groundwork to do so again in 2022. Because the dems can sense the absolute beating they are about to take. It’s gonna be ugly and they will deny reality to claim republicans somehow cheated to crushingly win the house and senate

      • All for nothing

        June 7, 2022 at 4:03 am

        I don’t see why you republicans have all those guns.

        We would just do what Sherman did the first time if you wanna go all over again lol

    • Cody2424

      June 7, 2022 at 9:59 am

      Legitimate concerns? So did the Republican Party for the 2020 Elections. Trump was saying well before Election Day that something was going to happen and if you aren’t blind and crazy you can see for yourself that something was not right. Watch 2000 mules, and any other deep dive into the election and then tell me there was nothing nefarious happening. Again open your eyes and look what his happening around you.

    • robert M vonRinteln

      June 8, 2022 at 5:50 am

      Or… if the red dare question the blue, why should the blue question the red? Oh wait…. rules don’t apply to the blue

  • Earl Pitts American

    June 7, 2022 at 8:25 am

    Attn: Florida’s new Sec. Of State Cord Byrd.
    As Rush used to say “LIBERALS ARE WHAT THEY ACCUSE OTHERS OF BEING”.
    Cord get busy investigating Nikki. Better take a look at Charlie too. As a matter of fact that 3rd lefty, Annette, just dropped out which is out of character for ANY leftist who could milk a single remaining campaign contribution.
    Cord better take a look at all of them. And while your at it do exactly the same investigation into ALL of the candidates. Thats right Cord my boy you are authorized to investigate your boss Ron DeSantis. Investigate all 4 of them to make it fair and balanced in order to keep the leftys from squeeling like the dirty little guilty cheating pigs which Nikki just accused conservatives of being. Get on top of it son before the leftist Feds come in per Nikki’s request.
    Thank you,
    Earl Pitts American

  • Carlos Gonzalez

    June 7, 2022 at 8:45 am

    Please do. She needs her eventual humiliating loss to be witnessed by as many people as possible.

  • Beth

    June 7, 2022 at 4:06 pm

    Smart move. I would not put anything past DeSantis or his corrupt enablers in the FL legislature. The wacko Republicans have made it obvious that they no longer believe in Democracy, we cannot trust them to adhere to a free and honest election process. The damage they are doing needs to stop now.

    • Jerry

      June 7, 2022 at 8:14 pm

      Oh! So it’s OK for Democrats to question the integrity of elections. But if a Republican does it, it’s an “insurrection.”

      • Ron DeSantis sucks

        June 7, 2022 at 8:57 pm

        Questioning the integrity of the election wasn’t an “insurrection”. Storming the capitol in an attempt to interrupt the counting of the electoral votes was.

        • robert M vonRinteln

          June 8, 2022 at 5:53 am

          Nancy lured a few idiots in by pulling security and most simply walked in open doors.

  • Corpser9000

    June 8, 2022 at 8:44 am

    Corpser9000 is back! Drink her blood and consume her flesh! Desecrate her corpse and plunder her sole!

Comments are closed.


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