What is going on over at The Daily Beast? There are no words for this article. Why was it written? I ask because the brutal fact check that’s now slapped on the tweet for the piece is epic. Also, an intern wrote the piece. It’s anti-Ron DeSantis, something about veterans being executed. I don’t know, but the piece defends a man named Bobby Joe Long and omits a key fact: the man was a serial killer.
Ron DeSantis is under fire for turning against his fellow service members and letting executioners slaughter five veterans this year alone.
The governor, who served in the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer from 2004 to 2010, has called Florida “the most veteran-friendly state” in the nation. But during his reign, nine people have been executed—including five veterans.
[…]
During DeSantis’ term, five veterans have been executed: Bobby Joe Long, Duane Owen, Edward James, Jeffrey Hutchinson, and Edward Zakrzewski. Bates is set to become the tenth on Aug. 19, followed by Curtis Windom on Aug. 28.
[…]
When reached for comment, DeSantis’ Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi told the Daily Beast after publication: “A simple trick to avoid execution in Florida is to not murder people.”
Ron DeSantis is under fire for turning against his fellow service members and letting executioners slaughter five veterans this year alone.https://t.co/aIalUPYhyM
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 13, 2025
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And here’s the community note on Twitter:
The Daily Beast defends Bobby Joe Long, executed in 2019, but omits why: Long was a serial killer who raped and murdered at least 10 women in Tampa Bay in 1984. He confessed and was convicted of eight homicides, plus additional rapes and abductions.
Yeah, that’s also an excellent response from DeSantis’s communications team.
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