Online Bantering
On social media, employees of DeSantis’ office and spokespeople for the governor began teasing Fine. This teasing came in response to a Fox News story about Harvard appearing to be hiring former University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill who had previously resigned.
Source: traynfenske/X
“Will @VoteRandyFine give back his Harvard degree now?!” wrote DeSantis political campaign spokeswoman Taryn Fenske in an August 28 X post.
More Jokes
In response to Fenske’s post, Desantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern joined in as well, making a joke at the expense of Fine.
source: jeremyrefernFL/X
“How do you know that Randy went to Harvard? Just wait 10 minutes, and he will tell you,” Redfern wrote on X.
Snowflake Fine
Christina Pushaw, a senior analyst in the Florida governor’s office was keen to join in on ribbing Fine for his Harvard degree across several X posts.
Source: Christiniapushaw/X
“…but how do you know he went to Harvard?” wrote an X user. “Because he’s a snowflake,” Pushaw said in response.
Firing Back
On X, Fine responded to the 10-minute jab directly, saying “I actually went twice, so you must not be paying attention.”
Source christiniapushaw/X
Humorously, Pushaw pointed out that Fine responded in only 8 minutes in a screenshot. “Didn’t even have to wait 10 minutes,” Pushaw wrote along with a laughing emoji.
Fire Them Immediately
Late on Wednesday, Fine had had enough of the jokes making fun of him, saying that if he was in DeSantis’ position he would fire the staff members immediately.
Source: voterandyfine/X
“If one of my taxpayer-funded staff ever engaged another elected official in the manner in which three members of the Governor’s staff has tonight – and often and routinely does – I would fire them immediately,” Fine wrote.
Calling for Investigation
Fine went further in his post, calling for an investigation into positions in the governor’s office and framing their conduct as possibly illegal.
Source: Markus Winkler/Unsplash
“Tomorrow, I will be calling on the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to investigate whether certain positions in the Governor’s office are necessary given how frequently they are involved in personal and political activities for the Governor,” Fine wrote. “This behavior is not only inappropriate and unprofessional, it could be illegal.”
Shoe on the Other Foot
Fine lightly poked at DeSantis in his post, referencing a previous DeSantis veto against legislative staff funding.
Source: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
“The Governor had no issue vetoing the budget for legislative support staff; it is time for the shoe to be on the other foot,” wrote Fine on X.
Pushaw Pushes Back
Despite the seriousness of Fine’s tone, the mocking of him by DeSantis’ allies on social media did not relent.
Source: christiniapushaw/X
“UPDATE: Harvard alumnus Randy Fine saw this and announced that he wants to make it illegal to post jokes about him on the internet,” said Pushaw in an X post the next day.
Fine’s Hypocrisy
In another X post, Pushaw accused Fine of being hypocritical for taking part in the name-calling and jokes himself but trying to stop others from doing so.
Source: Michael Rivera/Wikimedia Commons
“Oh yeah, he is allowed to troll people and call them names online all day. He only wants to make it illegal to troll him,” wrote Pushaw.
Following Up
Instead of bowing out after putting out the threat to investigate the governor’s office, Fine continued responding to the jabs, eventually posting an X thread attempting to document all the insults in one place.
Source: voterandyfine/X
“Some ‘chatter’ posted by @GovRonDeSantis taxpayer-funded office since 9am today. By no means exhaustive,” wrote Fine in an August 29 X post.
Fine and DeSantis’ Feud
This latest incident is just another in a recent falling out the two men have had. Fine endorsed DeSantis for president last year, though quickly changed his mind and endorsed Trump instead. DeSantis himself has also recently taken shots at Fine.
Source: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
“I think just about every lobbyist in Tallahassee made that trip, so is Representative Fine going to stop taking the money from all the lobbyists like he’s been doing?” DeSantis told reporters on Wednesday, referencing a trip to Ireland. “I’d like to see his answer to that.”