In honor of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he would order flags in Florida to be flown at half-staff when Limbaugh’s body is laid to rest.
Limbaugh, a Florida resident, died Wednesday after battling lung cancer. DeSantis called him a friend. It’s not clear when the flags will be lowered, since the funeral plans for Limbaugh have not been announced yet.
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“When there’s things of this magnitude, once the date of interment for Rush is announced, we’re going to be lowering the flags to half staff,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Palm Beach County on Friday.
Limbaugh’s death has been widely mourned by conservatives, although critics have highlighted past comments by him that they allege were bigoted and blatantly racist.
The governor has previously ordered flags to be at half-staff to honor the deaths of law enforcement officers killed on duty, members of the Navy killed in a mass shooting in Pensacola and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, among others.
Florida Democrats were quick to condemn DeSantis’ decision after the news was announced.
“Lowering the flag of the United States is a high honor reserved for those who have honorably and bravely served our state and our nation,” said State Sen. Gary Farmer in a statement on Twitter. “Unfortunately, Gov. DeSantis has now transformed this distinction into a partisan political tool to salute a man who served no other interests than his own and did his best to deeply divide a country along political fault lines.”
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Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, who is the former head of the Democratic National Committee, said the lower of the flag for Limbaugh is “an embarrassment to Florida.”
“Limbaugh weaponized his platform to spread racism, xenophobia and homophobia across the nation,” she continued. “His constant hateful rhetoric caused untold damage to our political landscape.”
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