A little-known Republican Florida candidate for a competitive congressional seat being vacated by Charlie Crist (D) was secretly recorded threatening to send a Russian-Ukrainian mafia hit squad after his opponent.
William Braddock made the threats against Anna Paulina Luna in a 30-minute recording made by a conservative activist named Erin Olszewski.
“I have access to a hit squad, too, Ukrainians and Russians,” he said about three minutes into the call, adding “don’t get caught out in public supporting Luna. … Luna’s gonna go down and I hope it’s by herself.”
“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” Braddock said at one point in the conversation last week, according to the recording exclusively obtained by POLITICO. “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.”
Hear the recording below.
Reached by text, Braddock wouldn’t answer whether he had mentioned hit squads. He said he had not heard the recording and that it’s “allegedly me … there is no proof of that.” He also suggested the recording “may even be altered and edited.”
Luna received a temporary injunction against Braddock, which bars Braddock from going to a coffee shop popular with conservative groups or attending any events where Luna will be speaking. She has previously been endorsed by both Former Guy and Matt Gaetz.