Anthony Sabatini, a member of the Florida House of Representatives is being condemned for a tweet he sent Saturday (November 21).
“KYLE RITTENHOUSE FOR CONGRESS” the tweet said, sparking outrage online.
Kyle Rittenhouse is the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin and injuring one other back in late August.
The protesters were a part of a citywide protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake who was shot seven times by police.
Rittenhouse claims he travelled across state lines from Illinois to protect a local business during the protest. A second man, Dominick Black, was also arrested for selling Rittenhouse the gun.
Sabatini’s tweet came just one day after Rittenhouse was released on a $2 million bail.
Sabatini is no stranger to controversy. Earlier this year, he posted a photo of an AR-15 rifle to social media in response to protesters who were marching to demand justice in the murder of George Floyd.
At the time, the Florida House of Representatives didn’t take any action against Sabatini. Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva said his post didn’t show a “direct or preemptive threat,” according to a report by the Daily Commercial.
In 2019, a photo of Sabatini wearing black face was revealed. Florida Democrats called for Sabatini’s resignation at the time, stating that both parties should “stand united” when calling out racism in the state.
Sabatini defended the photo saying at the time, “We were 16-year-old kids, we weren’t thinking much about it.”
Sabatini’s most recent tweet has reignited calls for his resignation from activists.
This latest tweet from Sabatini was in a series of posts and also included support for Donald Trump’s baseless claims about election fraud.
Photo: Antioch Police Department