A Trump-loving Florida GOP congressional candidate is accused of threatening a police officer's job after he was pulled over for speeding this week.
Martin Hyde, who recently erected a "Let's Go Brandon" Christmas display at his Sarasota home, in violation of subdivision rules, was pulled over for going 57 mph in a 40 mph zone on Monday morning, according to a report from Florida Politics.
"Officer Julia Beskin in her official report states that Hyde became belligerent when he was stopped," the site reported. "She wrote that Hyde, when he did not produce his registration immediately, told her to 'look it up cause he did not have it.' That’s when he threatened her job."
“Do you know who I am?” Hyde said before threatening to call the police chief. “This is going to end your career."
Hyde was ultimately cited for failing to display proper registration, which carries a $116 civil penalty, according to the report.
He admitted to threatening the officer's career, but claimed he later called her to apologize. He also questioned the newsworthiness of the story.
“Man doesn’t like getting three tickets when he barely deserved one,” Hyde said.“It was all annoying."
Hyde, who reportedly has hired Trump adviser Roger Stone as a campaign consultant, is no stranger to controversy.
"During his first city race in 2017, police reports surfaced dating back to his 2010 divorce proceedings including a request for an injunction," Florida Politics reports. "During a second run for the Commission in 2019, he became the central figure in a viral video shot at the Sarasota Bath & Racquet Club."
In the video, Hyde was complaining about Puerto Rican teens who were using the club and allegedly told them to "cut some grass."
"Hyde for years has been a regular speaker at local government meetings, and of late has been a staple at Sarasota School Board meetings. One of his rants recently led off a Lincoln Project video," Florida Politics reports.
But Hyde said he doesn't believe the controversies will hurt him as he challenges Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan from the right in the GOP primary.
“I can’t get upside down about it,” Hyde told Florida Politics. “I don’t think it will derail any limited appeal I might have. It’s not news. I’m getting bored of it. There’s a lot of stuff nobody talks about, serious things worthy of conversation. This is in the vein of ‘dog chases cat’ and it’s just crap.”