Top Florida Official Defying State Order to Honor Rush Limbaugh Sounds Off: DeSantis Using Flag as ‘Political Prop’

A top Florida official is sounding off on an order by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) that flags at all state offices be lowered to honor Rush Limbaugh.

Appearing on CNN’s New Day Tuesday, Florida agriculture commissioner Nikki Fried (D) — the only Democrat currently holding statewide office in Florida — blasted the governor for issuing the order to honor Limbaugh, and explained why she plans to defy it.

“The American flag should not be used, and cannot be used, as a political prop by Governor DeSantis,” Fried said. “And what he’s doing is bending over backwards to honor a radio host who spent his entire career talking hate speech, and talking bigotry and division and conspiracy theories. And lowering our flag should be a symbol of unity, not division. Raising our standards, not lowering our standards. So we will not be lowering our flags at my department state offices to honor Rush Limbaugh. And we will not celebrate hate speech.”

Fried went on to compare the DeSantis order to the one issued Monday by President Joe Biden — who ordered flags to fly at half staff for the next five days to honor the more than 500,000 Americans who have died from Covid-19.

“The president is lowering the flags to recognize the 500,000 individuals in our country who have died because of coronavirus, and memorializing them, and recognizing the sacrifices of their families,” Fried said. “That’s what we should be honoring. And when Governor DeSantis uses the flag — the American flag — as a prop, it sends a message to the rest of the citizens of our state that that is what he idolizes.”

Watch above, via CNN.