Even when Florida Woman Nikki Fried is technically accurate, she goes about it in the wrong fashion.

While some may wish to silence the recidivist nature of Florida Agriculture Secretary Nikki Fried I take the opposite position. The best way to expose the pathological incompetence of this woman is to amplify her voice. Take as an example the message she sent out on October 11: Just after Governor Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation announcing the official recognition of Columbus Day, Fried cleverly sent out her announcement of Indigenous People’s Day, and did so in the rather non-indigenous language of Spanish.

Her latest sees the brash-but-not-bright politician making a bold announcement that she is rescinding the licensing of a number of Floridians involved in the January 6 riot. Clearly, this is done to deliver a particular signaling message to voters, though it is a rather preaching-to-the-choir level of announcement unlikely to sway many independents. It is also unlikely to burnish her image as a deep thinker.

Today I'm announcing the suspension of six licenses of domestic terrorists who participated in the January 6 insurrection attempt against the United States.

That brings our total to 28 suspensions. As more charges are filed, we will continue to hold these traitors accountable.

— Nikki Fried (@NikkiFried) October 19, 2021

Fried is declaring here the suspension of Concealed Carry Weapons permits of these select Floridians involved with the Capitol riot. Her office is in charge of the licensing and it is within her purview to rescind these documents. The issue is her desire to bray on social media about doing so for the wrong set of criteria.

It may appear at first that she is leveling punishment absent due process, which is accurate and yet not in violation of state standards. In Florida, a measurement for denial/suspension of a CCW license involves a couple of factors, one of which being charges of a felonious nature. 

You are not eligible for licensure if you are under arrest or currently charged with any felony, or crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year; or any crime of violence, including crimes of domestic violence.

One other component that can lead to this suspension is the arrest for a violent misdemeanor.

A misdemeanor crime of violence includes any misdemeanor conviction involving the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another, or that by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense.  Crimes of violence constituting a misdemeanor may include but are not limited to, assault, battery, stalking, or an attempt or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing offenses.

As far as the events and actions surrounding the Capitol riot these parameters do apply, and the suspensions would appear valid as a result. The problem? Fried is not content to outline these specifics. Instead, she launches into hyperbolic accusations to justify her actions, making the announcement into a campaign rallying cry.

Fried’s use of “terrorists,” “insurrection,” and “traitors” is done for no reason beyond political theatrics. None of the participants in the riot who have been arrested have been charged in any manner to earn those labels. No one to date has been charged with Seditious Conspiracy, nor Insurrection. 

Fried is resorting to melodramatics in her declaration, which only follows her tendency to be an error-prone fabulist on many political issues. Recently she attempted to slam DeSantis with data showing his mask policy was proven wrong, only to repeatedly change her claims and even left spouting misinformation on CNN that was later proven incorrect. 

This new display just keeps her messaging on brand. Even when she is technically correct, Fried cannot help herself from spewing inaccurate information. She is hardly displaying a capability to be a state leader — so the desire to have her continue is fairly strong. Keep at it, Nikki.