Local columnist tramples GOP lawmaker’s wormy reversal

President Donald Trump has retained an iron grip on the Republican Party despite the more than two dozen sexual misconduct accusations against him, as well as at least one report of sexual misconduct allegedly facilitated by the late child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. He was even adjudicated to have sexually abused E. Jean Carroll.

Now it appears that at least one other Republican politician is hoping that if Trump could politically get away with his proved and alleged sexual misconduct, he too can be forgiven. Yet a prominent local columnist does not want him to pull this off.

"Maybe we all missed the fine print in State Rep. Fabián Basabe’s 2025 video promise to resign if sexual harassment allegations against him ever proved true. But almost two months after a civil jury in July appeared to do exactly that, Basabe is back to say (essentially): That didn’t count," wrote Miami New Times staffer B. Scott McLendon on Thursday.

He added, "A former legislative aide and a former intern for the Miami Beach-based politician accused him of sexual harassment, battery, and defamation (in a complaint attached below) — accusations a civil jury in Tallahassee found Basabe civilly liable for after trial and ordered him to pay $450,000 in damages. Basabe, however, argues that this verdict fails to trigger his promise to resign."

Basabe has argued that the jury's verdict against him is not proof of guilt, adding that he will appeal it.

"He is technically correct that the verdict wasn’t 'guilty,' and otherwise doesn’t precisely align with his promise to resign if the allegations were proven true," McLendon further wrote. "The problem is that civil juries don’t decide guilt or innocence, nor do they decide whether allegations are true or false."

McLendon then quoted the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which said that “the jury generally is asked to determine whether the defendant is responsible for harming the plaintiff in some way, and then to determine the amount of damages that the defendant will be required to pay.” In short, "the jury found Basabe was liable for sexual harassment, battery, and defamation against the defendants."

The writer concluded, "So was Basabe playing a semantic game from the start by offering a conditional promise he knew couldn’t happen in reality?"

In his editorial for the Miami Herald, Basabe reneged on his vow to resign.

"A recent column in this newspaper called on me to resign, citing a promise I made to my constituents when allegations of misconduct against me first surfaced," the lawmaker said. "The author, Mary Anna Mancuso, is right about one important thing: I made that promise. I said that if these allegations were ever proven true, I would resign and be held accountable. I called it a verbal contract with my community. I meant every word then, and I mean every word today."

He added, "But the legal process continues. Even the column calling for my resignation acknowledges a critical distinction: I was not found guilty. This was a civil case, brought by a former aide and a former intern. There was no criminal prosecution or conviction. A civil jury found me liable for sexual harassment, battery and defamation. I dispute that verdict, continue to deny the allegations and am challenging it through the appellate process."

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