DeSantis Spox Rips Huffington Post Headline Calling Executed Murderer a ‘Political Pawn’
AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
Huffington Post faced a wave of backlash for calling a convicted murderer a “political pawn” of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after he used his final words to trash the governor. Multiple spokespeople for DeSantis jumped on the outlet for its coverage.
“Florida Executes Man Used As ‘Political Pawn’ By Ron DeSantis” read the headline for the Huffington Post article from Jessica Schulberg. The post covered the execution of Donald Dillbeck, who was convicted of killing two people. It was noted that Dillbeck was convicted 32 years ago by a non-unanimous jury, something Schulberg used to refer to him as a “political pawn.”
From Schulberg:
The timing of his execution appears to be part of a push by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to bring back death sentences by non-unanimous juries.
DeSantis, who is expected to run for president, signed Dillbeck’s death warrant last month on the same day that he floated changing state law to allow non-unanimous juries to impose death sentences.
What likely may have made Dillbeck’s execution more noteworthy for larger press outlets were his final words.
The convicted murderer said:
I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up. But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse. He’s taken a lot from a lot of people. I speak for all men, women and children. He’s put his foot on our necks. Ron DeSantis and other people like him can suck our dicks.
Dillbeck said this while the family of Faye Lamb Vann, a woman he murdered, were there to witness his execution.
“Perspective… this monster killed a police officer, went to jail, escaped, stabbed this mom to death in a parking lot at the Tallahassee Mall at random, and Huffington Post thinks HE is the victim,” DeSantis rapid response director Christina Pushaw tweeted in response to the Huffington Post’s framing of the story.
“What is wrong with you?” DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern tweeted.
A number of conservative pundits also trashed Huffington Post for their framing.
“She also omitted the victim’s family’s letter,” conservative radio host John Cardillo tweeted, adding the letter from the family.
