Fact check: Officer who wore 'Trump 2020' mask to polls to face disciplinary action

Camille Caldera, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: A police officer in Miami wore a 'Trump 2020' mask to the polls

A tweet from Miami-Dade County Democratic Chairman Steve Simeonidis is making the rounds on social media.

"Here is @CityofMiami Police Officer Daniel Ubeda, in full uniform with badge and gun wearing his Trump mask inside of the polling location in government center," he wrote on Tuesday. "This is city funded voter intimidation. Ubeda should be suspended immediately."

Simeonidis told USA TODAY that voters "should feel safe and secure as they exercise their right to vote."

"A uniformed officer with a badge and gun wearing a Trump mask inside a polling place is illegal and an egregious act of voter intimidation," he wrote in a statement.

His tweet has been retweeted over 30,000 times and reposted on Facebook by pages like The Resistance, which did not respond to a request for comment.

City officials call action 'unacceptable,' a violation of department policy

The photo and description of the incident is true, and city officials have responded.

An hour after the tweet from Simeonidis, the Miami Police Department condemned the behavior on Twitter.

"We are aware of the photograph being circulated of a Miami Police officer wearing a political mask in uniform," it wrote. "This behavior is unacceptable, a violation of departmental policy, and is being addressed immediately."

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Later that day, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez confirmed that the officer had breached department policy by promoting a political candidate.

"I have spoken to Chief Colina and we agree that the officer’s behavior is unacceptable. This was a violation of departmental policy," she wrote on Twitter. "He is under investigation and disciplinary measures will be taken."

Officers are allowed to vote while in uniform, though it's unclear if the officer was on duty at the time.

In a statement, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina also described the officer's behavior as “unacceptable” and a violation of departmental policy, per USA TODAY. He said the action was being "addressed immediately.”

Our rating: True

Based on our research, the claim that a police officer in Miami wore a "Trump 2020" mask to the polls is TRUE. City officials have condemned the behavior as an "unacceptable" violation of department policy and announced that disciplinary measures will be taken.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Miami officer who voted in 'Trump 2020' mask broke rules