Mike Huckabee’s campaign to silence a Florida critic
TALLAHASSEE — Mike Huckabee ran for president not once but twice and got his butt kicked both times. But he must have developed a thick skin along the way, right? Wrong.
The former Republican governor of Arkansas skillfully packaged his corn pone brand of conservatism into a lucrative second career at Fox News and the Christian-themed Trinity Broadcasting Network. That makes him part of Big Media, so you figure he’s obviously a strong defender of the First Amendment, right? Wrong again.
Huckabee is the latest in a long line of rich Republicans who have flocked to Florida, drawn by the warm sun and the lack of a personal income tax (see Rick Scott, Karl Rove, Donald Trump, etc.)
He spent some of his Fox dough to build a $7 million beachfront house on the Gulf of Mexico near Destin in the Panhandle at a place called Blue Mountain Beach in Walton County. The three-story home is near Ground Zero of an epic legal fight that threatens the Florida tradition of public beach access.
Huckabee’s other favorite hangout is Twitter, where he’s known for awful puns and a steady barrage of criticism against Democrats, such as a racist tweet that went viral last year. It depicted Latino men flashing gang hand signals as Nancy Pelosi’s “campaign committee for the take-back of the House.” Ol’ Huck can dish it out, but he can’t take it.
When a persistent critic, a lawyer on the public side of the beach access battle, tweeted back with sarcasm and humor, Huckabee tried to silence him by filing a formal complaint with the Florida Bar. The complaint should be tossed out as a sham and an abuse of the system of disciplining lawyers.
In his Bar complaint, Huckabee accuses lawyer Daniel Uhlfelder of “vile and unprofessional attacks” and “repeatedly posting disparaging information about me,” which Huckabee claims violate Bar rules on integrity of the legal profession. Huckabee argues that the Bar is the right forum because the lawyer’s Twitter profile mentions his law practice.
Uhlfelder is counsel for Florida Beaches for All, a citizens’ group fighting in court to save the doctrine of “customary use” that protects public beach access that was upended by a 2018 law passed by the Legislature and signed by former Gov. Rick Scott.
No trespassing signs began sprouting along the beachfront and public emails showed Huckabee praised Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, for her support of the bill, and complained about beach-goers trampling on property.
In his complaint, Huckabee criticizes Uhlfelder for re-posting editorial cartoons critical of Huckabee.
He took offense at Uhlfelder liking this Twitter remark: “I’m trying not to picture Ol’ Man Huckabee slathered in Noxzema, clad in a Fox & Friends T-shirt, khaki shorts, calf-length black socks and sandals, wandering along the beach with a metal detector.” That’s not disparaging.
Uhlfelder especially infuriated Huckabee by responding to a tweeted suggestion for a Secret Service code name for Huckabee with this: “Beach thief.” The complaint says: “He accused me of theft, a crime of moral turpitude.”
In response, Uhlfelder, who has a grand total of 422 Twitter followers, says Huckabee’s complaint cites a Bar rule that applies to his conduct as an attorney, not his speech as a private citizen. He says his tweets are protected by the First Amendment.
Huckabee’s complaint is dated Oct. 15. That was four days after Uhlfelder retweeted a tweet that showed Huckabee in a photo with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, the Ukrainian men and Rudy Giuliani associates facing criminal violations of campaign finance laws. The original tweet was posted by Chip Hinkleman, who identifies himself as a “joke coach” for Huckabee.
The timing of the photo and the Bar complaint does appear more than coincidental. Huckabee did not respond to phone and email messages.
As for Huckabee, he’s on Twitter promoting a new documentary entitled No Safe Spaces, which features two conservative radio talk show personalities in an examination of restrictions on free speech on college campuses. Without a hint of irony, Huckabee tweeted: “The 1st Amendment right of Free Speech is precious, but it hangs by a thread.”
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