DEFUND THIS CLOWN: BOB NORMAN AND STATE-FUNDED SMEARS
Leftist Hack Reporter Bob Norman Gets Torched After Lame Marceno Hit Job Backfires
NOTE: This piece first appeared on FLGulfNews.com.
By Dick LaFontaine with Richard Luthmann
Veteran leftist reporter Bob Norman took aim at journalist Richard Luthmann in a recent hit piece, hoping to revive his flatlining story about Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno. But instead, Norman ended up proving exactly why Donald Trump is calling to defund NPR, PBS, and other taxpayer-supported media.
His latest Florida Trident piece, entitled “‘Trump’s Sheriff’?’ Facing federal investigation, Lee County’s Marceno and his allies make clear appeal to the president,” recycles old headlines with little new substance.
When Norman ran out of fresh material, he pivoted—hard—into an extended attack on Luthmann, calling him a “self-styled reporter” while dedicating over ten paragraphs to his exploits.
Luthmann, a contributor and editor for this outlet, provided background and comments on this story.
The Battle Nobody Asked For
Norman picked a fight with Luthmann. That was a mistake.
“Bob Norman is an arrogant liberal douchebag,” Luthmann said. “Nobody reads his bullshit. He’s a shill for the left, and now he’s writing checks with his big mouth that he’ll never cash.”
Norman’s Florida Trident piece appeared on the Florida Center for Government Accountability‘s journalism arm. The 501(c)(3) non-profit outlet enjoys preferential tax treatment but does not behave like a public charity. Norman takes every opportunity to smear Sheriff Marceno with innuendo and filler. The federal investigation mentioned? A ghost. The grand jury? Silent. The bombshells? Nonexistent.
“This is a NOTHING BURGER,” Luthmann said. “The guy spent ten paragraphs talking about me because nothing is coming out of a grand jury that is dead for all intents and purposes. He’s trying to tar Carmine with Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party’s retaliatory hit job on me. She still hates me because of 2016.”
President Trump recently called for Congress to “defund NPR and PBS immediately” after years of partisan slant and left-wing spin. For Luthmann, Norman’s coverage of Marceno is Exhibit A.
“Maybe the IRS should take a hard look at the tax-exempt status of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, Norman and the Florida Trident’s publisher,” Luthmann said. “They say they are non-partisan, but their continuous spew of leftist drivel pawned off as news makes them little more than a glorified PAC,” Luthmann said.
PACs or political action committees qualify as 501(c)(4)s or social welfare organizations, but donations are not tax-deductible. However, 501(c)(3)s are prohibited from engaging in political activities.
Luthmann says the FLCGA collects tax-deductible donations but also releases overly slanted media coverage that many would call “political advocacy.”
“If Norman says I’m not a reporter, then he’s not part of a journalistic outfit. He’s a leftist hack misleading readers and cheating taxpayers through a fraudulent designation. Look at the FLCGA’s money. They are a political organization,” Luthmann said.
FLCGA is Florida-focused. However, it receives substantial monies from out-of-state donors, including the Institute for Nonprofit News, which Luthmann says is a “leftist media cooperative masquerading as a public charity.”
“Just look at their IRS 990,” Luthmann said. “FLCGA regularly receives major funding from groups propped up by Trump-haters. Follow the money that pays for the Florida Trident, and it comes out of L.A., San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Connecticut, Colorado, and other places where MAGA is a ‘racial slur.’”
Luthmann says the facts show he’s not wrong.
“Show me one article from any of these outlets from the past year that is remotely pro-Trump or pro-DeSantis, and there’s something to discuss. You won’t find any because that’s not their political program. And that’s the point,” Luthmann said.
Defund This Clown: Hammer, Sickle, and a Sad Reporter
Bob Norman used to write for New Times Broward-Palm Beach, a progressive, left-leaning outlet, before slinking into the Florida Trident, where he churns out reheated liberal hit pieces under the guise of journalism.
He’s spent his career chasing sensationalism, often with little more than a headline and an attitude.
Luthmann, a contributor on platforms like Substack, FLGulfNews.com, NYNewsPress.com, TheFamilyCourtCircus.com, and the Frank Report, none of which receive government support or claim special tax breaks. He had the misfortune of being Norman’s latest target—not because he’s central to the Marceno story but because Norman has nothing else to say.
“Bob Norman and the Florida Trident are sad,” Luthmann said. “They should just change their logo to the hammer and the sickle already. Everybody knows Norman’s dream job would be at Pradva or TASS. The only place he survives is at state-supported leftist media mouthpiece outlets.”
Norman didn’t break news. He rehashed old rumors. And when the narrative dried up, he filled the vacuum with personal attacks. His Marceno reporting leaned heavily on vague statements and anonymous sources—no smoking gun, no indictment, just speculation.
“I’m much smarter than Bob Norman, for the simple reason that I’m not a LibTard,” Luthmann said. “Also, I can call a hoax a hoax. If there was any substance to the Marceno case, an indictment would have come down months ago. This story is Bob Norman’s Russia, Russia, Russia, and Hunter Biden Laptop. He should really let go, but his media masters will never allow it.”
Norman attempted to paint Luthmann as a distraction to Sheriff Marceno’s prospective congressional campaign. In truth, Luthmann’s reporting exposes a weak political hit campaign pushed by Marceno’s enemies and amplified by partisan hacks and the media outlets supporting them.
“If he wants to talk about corruption, first he should let everyone know who whe’s in the bag for on the Marceno coverage: the RINOs, the Dems, or his radical left buddies in the establishment and state-funded media,” Luthmann said.
Luthmann says Norman would be much more effective if he gave up the pretense of objectivity and clearly identified himself as leftist media.
“I always thought Sean Hannity was at his best when he had Alan Colmes to whip on,” Luthmann said. “Maybe that’s what Bob wants to be—a punching bag.”
President Trump Was Right: Defund This Clown and State-Subsidized Media
Norman’s 1,300-word article proved only one thing—PBS and NPR no longer serve the public. They serve the left.
“Defund NPR and PBS immediately,” President Trump said. “They are a total scam.”
Norman’s outlet, FLCGA, is no different. It enjoys the tax benefits of a public charity yet acts like a political PAC.
The reports on Marceno masquerade as journalism while recycling material first published months and months ago. Norman adds little but opinion and targeted character assassination.
And not so ironically, what outlet immediately picked up Norman’s latest piece? WGCU, the PBS and NPR outlet for Southwest Florida.
“They are laundering political attacks through nonprofit organizations and state-funded media. It’s clear for all to see,” Luthmann said. “Bob Norman says I’m not a ‘serious’ journalist because I’m exposing their con. It’s no different than what the Obama Administration did to Glenn Greenwald after he published on the Edward Snowden leak.”
Norman seemed overly obsessed with downplaying Luthmann’s credentials—while quoting him repeatedly and making him the central figure in his own story.
Luthmann laughed it off.
“Failing media publications need to fill content. I get it,” he said. “I guess I’m that important.”
Norman’s piece didn’t land. Marceno’s support remains strong in MAGA country. No charges have been filed. And the media frenzy is running on fumes.
Meanwhile, Norman—who once boasted about being called “Florida’s best muckraker”—is now best known for slinging mud at real journalists on government-funded time.
This is what taxpayer dollars and subsidies are paying for: partisan fluff disguised as accountability journalism.
Norman made one tactical error: he picked a fight with someone who knows how to punch back.
“Bob Norman tried to use me as a scapegoat because he had nothing new to say,” Luthmann said. “But I don’t scare easily.”
The real scandal here? Public money is funding personal vendettas and ideological hit jobs.
President Trump’s message was clear: cut the cord on state media.
And after this debacle, few would argue.
Just want to tell you Richard, I was so happy to see this article, and with a grateful heart, thank you for your courageous stance on this evil. The good news is that more and more, these people are being brought out in the open for all to see. I never believed it the minute it was printed, because I know the left are all liars, this does not make me happy, but it is what it is.
Thanks again, and keep the faith!!
Reader comment from Sue: YES, PLEASE DEFUND HIM!!!
Response: What a nice comment from a nice lady!