Secret Recording: GOP Candidate's Opponent Reportedly Threatened to Dispatch Ukrainian 'Hit Squad' Against His Rival
Primaries have a tendency to shine a light on the more … unsavory … elements of American political parties.
For instance, Augustus Sol Invictus, who openly identified as a fascist and ran as a libertarian in 2016 for a U.S. Senate seat representing Florida, came under fire after it was revealed that he sacrificed a goat and drank its blood — all part of a bizarre ritual honoring the “god of the wilderness.”
But psychopaths aren’t limited to third parties. Sometimes, these punks inhabit our own circles and provoke a need to examine ourselves.
Take William Braddock, for example. He’s running as a Republican for a Tampa Bay-area seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and, in a video recording obtained by Politico, made a series of outlandish and disturbing threats toward his Republican primary opponent, Anna Paulina Luna.
In a secretly recorded 30-minute call with conservative activist Erin Olszewski, before he became a candidate, Braddock allegedly said, “I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” referring to Luna.
“That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f***ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.”
From very early on in the call, Braddock was already incoherently babbling about receiving money from his fellow Freemasons, as well as some kind of scheme to import millions of dollars from Malta and Gibraltar, according to Politico.
But that was when this psycho unveiled his secret weapon — an alleged team of Eastern European assassins that operate with a speed and efficiency that could make the world’s greatest hitmen blush.
“I have access to a hit squad, too, Ukrainians and Russians,” Braddock allegedly proclaimed during the call, warning Olszewski not to “get caught out in public supporting Luna … Luna’s gonna go down and I hope it’s by herself.”
When pressed by Olszewski as to how Luna was going to “disappear” or “go down,” Braddock reportedly remarked, “I call up my Russian and Ukrainian hit squad, and within 24 hours, they’re sending me pictures of her disappearing.”
“No, I’m not joking. Like, this is beyond my control [at] this point.”
According to the outlet, Braddock then described his team of killers as “Russian mafia. Close-battle combat, TEC-9s, MAC-10s, silencers kind of thing. No snipers. Up close and personal. So they know that the target has gone.”
Politico reported that Luna and Braddock do not have any apparent connection to one another, aside from the primary, and it is unclear where his vile hatred for her comes from.
The outlet also noted that the recording carries some serious risk for Olszewski. Not only is secretly recording someone technically a third-degree felony in Florida, but she also reportedly ruined the political ambitions of a complete madman with a propensity toward lethal violence.
While police say she did not do anything wrong, the personal and legal consequences for Olszewski could be dire. I think she did her state and country a favor, and this whole situation illustrates the need for single-party consent recording laws, as in my home state of Texas.
Since the day of the recording, June 9, both Luna and Olszewski have obtained temporary restraining orders against Braddock. This isn’t his first one either. Apparently, an ex-fiance once filed an injunction against Braddock in California, but it was “filed after a contentious breakup and had no merit,” according to a statement given by Braddock to the Tampa Bay Times.
Braddock, on the other hand, is preparing a lawsuit against Olszewski.
“The folks in possession of whatever recording they think they have of myself or someone else (which may even be altered and edited) will be facing civil damages suit(s) when the paperwork is [filed] with the county and felony charges after I file with the local police department,” Braddock ranted in a text message to Politico.
“I strongly advise not to get involved because the civil suits will continue to be filed until people stop sharing them because whomever is on the recording did not consent to be recorded in my humble opinion,” he continued.
However, according to Politico, there is evidence that the other person on the call was Braddock. This includes his name registering as a contact on Olszewski’s phone, and a separate recording of a call between Braddock and a political consultant, in which the phone number representing Braddock was the same as on Olszewski’s phone.
All in all, Braddock, if the recording is indeed genuine, appears to be completely insane, and not suited for public office. This kind of talk has no place in America. The country is divided enough — we don’t need candidates openly advocating for violence.
I’d rather not go the way of the Roman Republic, thank you very much.
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