After getting busted on Sunday by Rise News (and followed up by both NBC Miami, and Local 10 News), District 38 State Senator Daphne Campbell flat out denied her egregious abuse of power as an elected official by exerting undue influence over a lobbyist for Florida Power & Light.

Campbell also accused the Rise News reporter of stealing her cell phone!

The Miami New Times also published an article this morning about her blatant attempt at a cover-up.  Reporter Jerry Ianelli wrote:

“[Campbell] openly bragged about using her connections to a Florida Power & Light lobbyist to try to get power restored at her house and her sister’s home before the rest of Miami’s residents. She made this admission on-camera to a reporter with Miami’s Rise News. She then let that reporter take photos of the text messages she sent FPL lobbyist John Holley while she was holding her phone in her hand.

This fact is important, because Campbell is now absurdly trying to claim a reporter stole her phone to take screencaps of the text messages.“

In addition, the article stated:

“Despite the fact that trying to use her ties to FPL to help her relatives is a clear case of public corruption, Campbell seemed proud of what she did until the public got wind of the messages and became angry. As of 7 a.m. Monday, more than 56,000 Miamians still did not have power, and some of those residents questioned why Campbell deserved to get her power back simply because she knew an FPL bigwig.”

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning, Campbell posted this diatribe on her Facebook page:

“It is a shame for someone to be so cruel by victimizing someone like me during such a difficult post-disastrous time as this. Imagine, we are all struggling together fighting for the needs of the vulnerable within our district, and for someone to use delicate circumstances surrounding this situation for the purpose of their own ploy, is a disgrace.

Ever since before the hurricane, I was instrumental by working hard and helping to prepare many of my elderly and most vulnerable constituents, to ensure that they will be safe to face the potential catastrophe that we were all anticipating. Luckily for my district, we escaped what could have been the deadliest “monster” that our district would ever have faced.

Although our district was not hit by the category 5 hurricane, its effect has caused my constituents enough pain and suffering. My constituents include 15 cities with a population of approximately 500,000 individuals. This includes two of my younger children and my medically compromised mother who lives on oxygen. Hundreds of thousands including my two children, my mother, and my sister were without electricity. Up to today Sunday, September 17th, my children are still without power and my mother just got hers last Friday, September 15th.

I fought hard day and night, around the clock, going above and beyond, and doing everything within my power to help counteract the ill-effect of the storm, by responding to numerous calls and text messages regarding the power outage. As many are already aware, I communicate endlessly with my constituents via phone calls, emails, and text messages; then there’s no doubt that my responding to my constituents will include numerous text messages. After the storm, among the many text messages was a text concerning my two younger children and my sick mother [living at two separate addresses]. Most of my calls and texts to a FPL Representative pertained to rectifying my constituents’ power outage.

I managed to organize a “feed the community” event. While there, I noticed that someone came and sat right next to me. I didn’t know who that person was, but I always welcome everyone around me. My phone mysteriously disappeared. After about fifteen minutes of searching for my phone, to no avail it suddenly re-appeared where I last saw it. I did not expect that anyone would come to a “feed the community” event, in order to sneak away my phone to steal information from the text messages that I use to help my people. Unfortunately, one of the text messages taken from my phone was the one concerning my two children and sick mother.

Today I felt numbed and my heart pained, after discovering that the person who had taken my phone along with the text messages, is the owner of a news media publication. I gave no consent to anyone to use my phone. I have apparently found out that this media is located within my very district. It would be an understatement just to say how disappointed I am in this despicable, atrocious, and malicious behavior.

I am aware that there are hundreds or thousands of competing news media out there, and I know that it is rough for them. For many, if they do not have false news, they won’t make it. But, why choose NOW? My constituents have been suffering, still suffering and a few will continue to suffer without electricity for a short period of time; but by the grace of God with my due diligence, the suffering will end soon.

Yes, I am a state senator, but first I am human. I am also a mother, someone’s child, and someone’s sister. God knows I do not deserve this kind of bad treatment. All I want to do is continue to work hard and help my constituents, including my family. I want the best for my people. I am not perfect, but is it fair or right for anyone to go through such extreme measure just to hurt someone? I know that God is on my side, and He will take this situation under his control.”