Fact check: No, Tal Siddique did not commit 'stolen valor' (Updated)

Political consultant Anthony Pedicini's political committee claims Manatee County Commission candidate lied about his work with the Air Force. The charge doesn't pass muster.

Updated with more below from Tal Siddique, who on Wednesday sent out his own text message

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Did Manatee County Commission candidate Talha (Tal) Siddique commit an act of
”stolen valor” — as claimed in a new ad that was texted to Manatee County voters this week from a political committee chaired by his opponent’s campaign consultant — when he wrote on his application for a seat on a county advisory board that his prior experience included a job as a project manager for the U.S. Air Force?

The claim doesn’t pass the smell test. Siddique has never claimed that he served in uniform.

Unfortunately, these type of attacks, which are designed to stoke the passions of low- and no-information voters, are rarely designed to stand up to that kind of scrutiny. Just get the claims, whether in a video or a mailer, out there and make their targets play defense.

You can watch the ad below:

Neither in the application, a portion of which is illustrated in the ad, nor on his campaign website does SIddique claim that he served as a uniformed member of the Air Force or any other military branch. He didn’t specify that he held a civilian position, but he did show The Bradenton Journal his Department of Defense identification card, which designated him as a “civilian” with the Air Force.

Siddique said the ad, produced by the Committee to Expose Fake Republicans, is a piece of “misinformation.”

“I think people are conflating serving in uniform with my work in the civil service,” Siddique told the Journal.

Siddique’s campaign website states that “he a servant-leader who has led software teams for the U.S. Air Force,” among other positions in the federal government and in the private sector.

What is the Committee to Expose Fake Republicans?’

The Committee to Expose Fake Republicans is a political committee chaired by Tampa political consultant Anthony Pedicini. He has used the committee, which is funded with. contributions from West Coast Tomato and other business interests, to attack opponents of candidates he is working for as their political consultant. Pedicini’s clients include April Culbreath, who is running against Siddique for the Republican nomination for the District 3 seat on the county commission in the primary on Aug. 20.

The committee has used flyers to attack Siddique as being, among other things, a “never Trump” former Democrat with ties to Bill and HIllary Clinton and who has supported the “radical, anti-cop” Black Lives Movement.

Siddique has been a familiar target for Pedicini.

The Bradenton Times reported in July 2023 that Pedicini had sent texts to at least two commissioners — Jason Bearden and James Satcher, also clients of his — instructing them not to appoint Siddique to a position on the Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Advisory Committee, or ELMAC. At the time, it was rumored that Siddique, who had raised his profile as an activist in the community, was considering challenging Kevin Van Ostenbridge, another Pedicini client, for his seat on the county commission.

Siddique did not win the appointment.

Siddique eventually launched a bid to unseat Van Ostenbridge but less than two weeks before the qualifying period, Van Ostenbridge dropped out of the race so that he could challenge Commissioner George Kruse — who also has been targeted as insufficiently Republican by the “fake Republicans” group — in District 7. Cullbreath then dropped out of the District 7 race so she could run against Siddique.

Both Siddique and Culbreath have cited their prior public service during their respective campaigns. Culbreath, a former Manatee sheriff’s deputy, has repeatedly called herself a “conservative cup,” while failing to mention her lengthy disciplinary record while at the sheriff’s office.

Siddique has used that record as the centerpiece of his attacks on Culbreath, including by launching the website, therealapril.org.

Siddique uses video to go on offensive against Culbreath

April Culbreath's full background not part of her political mailer

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Siddique responds with his own text message

(Tal Siddique campaign)

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Marc R. Masferrer, previously a newspaper and digital editor in Bradenton for more than 16 years and a journalist for more than 33 years, has received multiple awards for his writing, including a first place for commentary writing in the Florida Press Club’s 2022 Excellence in Journalism Competition and a second place prize in the 2023 contest for work published in The Bradenton Journal. You can reach him at Marc.R.Masferrer@gmail.com. You can also like The Bradenton Journal on Facebook.