Trump-backed U.S. Representative Byron Donalds was recently accused of assaulting a woman in 2022 by threatening to “crush” or “finish” her in a grocery store. The allegations put the Florida gubernatorial candidate in the spotlight, and not in a good way, as many residents criticized his alleged behavior and argued that he was unfit to serve as governor.
According to the Daily Mail, a new lawsuit alleges that Donalds cornered Collier County School Board member Kelly Mason in a grocery store in Florida in August 2022 while her husband and two young children watched. Although the civil lawsuit does not allege that the politician physically touched Mason, it claims he told her that he would “crush” or “finish” her.
The lawsuit comes at a critical moment for Donalds, who is currently running for governor of Florida as the Republican candidate backed by President Donald Trump. Previous polls have indicated that Donalds was leading the race by nearly 40 points. Responding to the Daily Mail, the candidate’s spokesperson called the lawsuit “a baseless, politically motivated attack.”
Florida Congressman Byron Donalds Under Fire After New Lawsuit
On Reddit’s r/Florida, users criticized Representative Byron Donalds for his alleged role in the incident. One said, “He’s a Trump-endorsed Republican, so he’ll face no consequences unless they need to sacrifice him for someone else.”
Another person commented: “It is no longer a bug, but a feature of right-wing politics. Ken Paxton in Texas was just accused of voting fraudulently 6 times; Trump will probably give him the Medal of Honor.” A seemingly disappointed user also said, “Personally, I don’t want more crooks and grifters in charge of my hard-earned tax dollars. No thanks.”
Not everyone was convinced that Donalds would escape the backlash from the lawsuit, though, albeit for a different reason: “I know a bunch of Republicans who are not thrilled about him. Which isn’t the least bit surprising considering they don’t like black people.”
Among the commenters, some believed that the lawsuit was being exaggerated: “If he wasn’t running for governor, people would laugh at someone filing a civil lawsuit for assault over being told they were going to be ‘crushed’ or ‘finished’ in the context of defending another civil lawsuit.” Someone else added: “Based on the video, it’s just two people arguing. Not much there.”
It remains to be seen whether the allegations will affect Donalds’ popularity, but they have at least led some people to question his suitability to serve as governor.
