Anna Paulina Luna has been involved in a series of highly publicized and sometimes unsubstantiated allegations against political rivals, including claims that Roger Stone tried to poison her and that primary opponents plotted to murder her---allegations that law enforcement found to be baseless (Central Florida Post, Tampa Bay Times).
Repeated fact-checking and corrections by major news outlets, such as The Washington Post, have cast doubt on Luna's biographical and background claims, with family members contradicting her accounts and reports raising issues of potential exaggeration (Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald).
Luna's responses to critical media coverage have included accusations of political bias, racism, and coordinated attacks by the press, as well as threats of legal action and demands for retractions---actions that both energize supporters and risk appearing overly combative or evasive (Fox News, The Free Press).
Legal avenues---such as restraining orders and lawsuits---have been frequently pursued by Luna in response to perceived threats or reputational harm, but several of her cases and allegations have been dismissed or closed without action (Orlando Local News, Central Florida Post).
Significant campaign resources have been spent on legal fees related to public accusations and defamation disputes, raising questions about prioritization and the impact on political credibility (Central Florida Post).
2021: Luna Alleged Roger Stone Tried To Poison Her According to Central Florida Post, "This includes her accusations that Trump advisor Roger Stone tried to 'poison' her." [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Accused Roger Stone Of Attempting To Poison Her According to Central Florida Post, "Anna Paulina Luna, the congressional candidate, attempted to spike a July 4th feature by Stone for the website El American, where Luna serves as a correspondent. According to multiple sources at the website, the basis for Luna's demand was that the long-time Republican strategist had 'tried to poison her.'" [Central Florida Post, 7/13/21]
Central Florida Post Reported Luna Provided No Evidence For Her Poisoning Claim Against Stone In 2021 According to Central Florida Post, "Sources told the Central Florida Post that Luna provided no evidence to support the claim the Stone was a modern day Borgia and had tried to poison her." [Central Florida Post, 7/13/21]
2020: Central Florida Post Alleged Luna Likely Violated Florida Law Regarding False Combat Claims According to Central Florida Post, "Under a Florida state law sponsored by representative Anthony Sabatini it is specifically a felony to utilize false claims of military combat duty in order to raise money, a law Luna likely violated in 2020." [Central Florida Post, 5/11/22]
February 2023: Washington Post Disputed Anna Paulina Luna's Account Of Her Father's Imprisonment And Family Background According to Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME, "Just today, The Washington Post put out a hit piece on Luna, and they were nasty, disputing a break-in she had in her Missouri home, gossiping about her losing touch with family members... WAPO tried to raise doubt that Anna's father had ever been to jail. But, take a look at your screen. This is a picture of her father in a prison jumpsuit. They also tried to claim that they couldn't verify Anna's grandmother ever died of HIV when medical and death records are pretty easy to verify." [Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME 7:00 PM EST, 2/10/23]
February 2023: Washington Post Corrected Claim About Anna Paulina Luna's Voter Registration According to Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME, "The hippies claimed that Luna was previously a registered Democrat in the State of Washington. Now, actually, they've already issued the correction on that one because all it really took was a Google search which you usually to do before you publish. That Google search revealed the State of Washington doesn't in fact do that." [Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME 7:00 PM EST, 2/10/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Denied Washington Post's Claims About Her Background According to Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME, Anna Paulina Luna stated, "They did start out with saying that I basically made up the fact that my father never went to jail. And, as you saw with the records that we sent to Fox News, that's completely false. My story, growing up within the welfare system, going to over six high schools, that's not something that The Washington Post wants to tell the truth about." [Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME 7:00 PM EST, 2/10/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Claimed The Washington Post Omitted Interview Debunking Firearm Allegation According to Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME, Anna Paulina Luna stated, "They also proceeded to leave out an entire interview with a roommate that I had that debunked a bizarre claim made by someone that was apparently stationed with me that claimed that I owned a firearm during this break-in." [Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME 7:00 PM EST, 2/10/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Denied Washington Post Report Claims About Her Background According to The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tore into The Washington Post's treatment of conservative minorities Friday, saying that the media outlet's 'completely false' report on her background had an 'incredibly racist' undertone. [...] 'They did start out with saying that I basically made up the fact that my father never went to jail and, as you saw with the records that we sent to Fox News, that's completely false.'" [The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 2/11/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Claimed Washington Post Omitted Contradictory Interview Information According to The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "Luna added that the newspaper omitted information from some interviews that contradicted claims published by the outlet. The Post later added a correction on one of its claims, admitting Luna had not registered to vote as a Democrat while in Washington state." [The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 2/11/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Accused Washington Post Of Racist Undertones And Underplaying Her Hispanic Heritage According to The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "It's awful how they treat minorities and the fact is the undertone of the article was incredibly racist. They tried to undercut my Hispanic heritage,[...] They even spoke to my mother and did a report on what she was posting. The Washington Post is compost and they should do better." [The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 2/11/23]
2023: Anna Paulina Luna Drew National Attention After Washington Post Profile Publication According to Tampa Bay Times, "What catapulted Luna to national prominence was the Feb. 10 publication of a Washington Post profile. It questioned whether Luna had exaggerated parts of her biography and cultural background as she entered the political world." [Tampa Bay Times, 2/14/23]
Washington Post 2023: Family Members Contradicted Luna's Claims About Limited Family Support According to Tampa Bay Times, "For example, reporters quoted members of Luna's extended family who rebutted her claim that she had limited family support. They said Luna was often invited to family gatherings, and at times cared for by relatives who lived nearby." [Tampa Bay Times, 2/14/23]
February 2023: Washington Post Questioned Anna Paulina Luna's Biography In Profile According to Miami Herald, "U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is getting national attention after a Feb. 10 publication of a Washington Post profile that questioned whether she had exaggerated parts of her biography and cultural background as she entered the political world." [Miami Herald, 2/26/23]
Roger Stone Denied Ever Meeting Anna Paulina Luna (2021) According to Central Florida Post, "Stone said he has never met Luna and has no idea what she's talking about." [Central Florida Post, 7/13/21]
2023: Luna Did Not Respond To Questions About Her Biography From The Washington Post According to Stars and Stripes, "Luna's congressional office did not provide answers to a detailed list of questions about her biography from The Washington Post. When approached in person on Capitol Hill last week, Luna claimed she had not received any inquiry from The Post and declined to comment further." [Stars and Stripes, 2/10/23]
2020: Anna Paulina Luna Claimed Twitter's Verification Refusal Constituted Political Prejudice According to Tampa Bay Times, "'Ultimately I do feel that this is political prejudice,' she told the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday." [Tampa Bay Times, 9/16/20]
2020: Luna Filed A Federal Elections Complaint Against Twitter According to Tampa Bay Times, "She filed a federal elections complaint against Twitter in 2020 for refusing to verify her account." [Tampa Bay Times, 2/14/23]
Luna's Office Disputed Credibility Of Family Sources Used By Washington Post According to Tampa Bay Times, "But Luna's office said the family members with whom the Post spoke are not to be trusted. The two quoted are Luna's cousin and that cousin's mother --- the daughter and partner of Edward Mayerhofer, an uncle against whom Luna requested a stalking injunction in 2020." [Tampa Bay Times, 2/14/23]
February 2023: Luna Denied Washington Post Allegations, Criticized The Story On Twitter According to Miami Herald, "Luna blasted the Post in dozens of tweets, calling the story 'BS.' Her office raised numerous issues with the story, which has been amended twice since its publication." [Miami Herald, 2/26/23]
2021: Central Florida Post Claimed Luna Spent $150,000 On Lawyers For Accusations Of 'Hit-Squad' Targeting According to Central Florida Post, "She spent $150,000 of campaign funds on lawyers to continue her wild accusations that a cabal of candidates tried to organize a 'hit-squad' to target her." [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
2023: Luna Issued A Statement Claiming Media Attacks Were Due To Her Being A Conservative Minority According to Stars and Stripes, "Luna issued a statement through her attorney that said: 'As I've said before, and as [The Post] has clearly showcased, anyone who is a conservative minority is a threat to Leftist control. They can try to discredit me, but unfortunately for them the facts completely blow their story out of the water.'" [Stars and Stripes, 2/10/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Claimed She Was Targeted After Criticizing Yoel Roth And Twitter According to The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "Mind you, this is also a few days after though I went after Yoel Roth and Twitter for exposing them as being joint state actors,' Luna continued. 'So, I am on congressional oversight. I do believe that they are trying to again attack my credibility and I'm not going to let them get away with it.'" [The Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 2/11/23]
Fall 2021: Judge Denied Luna's Request For Permanent Restraining Order Over 'Hit-Squad' Claims According to Central Florida Post, "Luna pursued legal action to obtain a permanent restraining order surrounding these claims, something a local judge denied earlier this fall before closing the case." [Central Florida Post, 12/14/21]
2021: Luna Previously Accused GOP Primary Opponents Of Plotting To Murder Her According to Central Florida Post, "Just a few weeks ago Luna publicly accused Tito, and her 2020 GOP primary opponents Amanda Makki and William Braddock who ended his candidacy today, of working together to plot her murder." [Central Florida Post, 7/13/21]
St. Petersburg Police Closed Investigation Into Luna's Murder Plot Claims In 2021 According to Central Florida Post, "According to an investigative report obtained by the Central Florida Post, law enforcement has closed the case and determined that Luna's allegations against combat veteran Matt Tito and former primary opponent were baseless. They also elected to take no action against Braddock for his alleged over the top rhetoric." [Central Florida Post, 7/13/21]
2020: Central Florida Post Reported Luna Claimed Roger Stone Tried To Poison Her According to Central Florida Post, "She has even gone as far as to claim the longtime Trump confidante and advisor Roger Stone, who first encouraged Donald Trump to run for President of the United States in the 1980's, tried to poison her." [Central Florida Post, 5/11/22]
July 2022: Orlando Local News Reported Luna Lost Lawsuit Over Death Threat Allegations According to Orlando Local News, "Luna recently lost a lawsuit alleging one of her fellow candidates threatened to assassinate her with Russian hit squads." [Orlando Local News, 7/15/22]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Accused GOP Challenger William Braddock Of Plotting To Kill Her According to Channel NewsAsia, "Anna Paulina Luna, who plans to run for Florida's District 13 seat after losing a race for the slot in 2020 to Democratic US Representative Charlie Crist, contends in court documents that GOP challenger William Braddock is stalking her and wants her dead. Luna has filed a petition for a permanent restraining order." [Channel NewsAsia, 6/22/21]
2021: Florida Judge Granted Temporary Restraining Order To Anna Paulina Luna According to Channel NewsAsia, "Pinellas County Circuit Judge Doneene Loar had previously granted a temporary restraining order for Luna and a conservative activist and friend of hers, Erin Olszewski, after the allegations surfaced." [Channel NewsAsia, 6/22/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Cited Threatening Text Messages In Petition Against Braddock According to Channel NewsAsia, "In her petition, Luna claims she received text messages recently between Braddock and some associates in which he allegedly said he wanted to 'take me (Luna) out'. She also said others told her 'that means he intends to kill me'." [Channel NewsAsia, 6/22/21]
2021: Politico Reported Alleged Recording Of Braddock Discussing A 'Hit Squad' To Kill Luna According to Channel NewsAsia, "The case took a darker and somewhat bizarre turn last week when Politico reported that Olszewski had secretly recorded a phone call with Braddock earlier this month in which he says the alleged 'Russian and Ukrainian hit squad' could kill Luna within 24 hours." [Channel NewsAsia, 6/22/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Accused Republican William Braddock Of Harassment And Murder Plot According to La Prensa, "Un candidato republicano de nombre William Braddock fue acusado por Anna Paulina Luna por acoso y complot de asesinato, afirma que la quiere muerta." [La Prensa (Tampa, Orlando, Florida), 6/23/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Sought A Permanent Restraining Order Against Braddock According to La Prensa, "La futura candidata pidió una orden de restricción permanente, un juez llamado Doneene Loar le había otorgado una orden temporal a Luna y a la activista Erin Olszewski cuando surgieron las acusaciones." [La Prensa (Tampa, Orlando, Florida), 6/23/21]
2021: Judge Doneene Loar Granted A Temporary Restraining Order To Anna Paulina Luna According to La Prensa, "un juez llamado Doneene Loar le había otorgado una orden temporal a Luna y a la activista Erin Olszewski cuando surgieron las acusaciones." [La Prensa (Tampa, Orlando, Florida), 6/23/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Claimed To Have Received Threatening Messages From William Braddock And Associates According to La Prensa, "En la petición de Luna, sostiene que ha recibido mensajes de texto de Braddock y asociados, donde la acosan. También le expresaron que querían 'sacarla', y de acuerdo con la futura candidata, eso evidencia sus intenciones de matarla." [La Prensa (Tampa, Orlando, Florida), 6/23/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Expressed Fear For Her Life Due To Braddock's Alleged Threats According to La Prensa, "No me siento segura y actualmente temo por mi vida por parte del Sr. Braddock". [La Prensa (Tampa, Orlando, Florida), 6/23/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna Filed An Injunction Against William Braddock For Alleged Death Threats According to Tampa Bay Times, "Luna filed one injunction after she said she got word that Braddock had a plan to kill her." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/1/21]
2021: Police Closed Investigation Into Alleged Threats Against Anna Paulina Luna According to Tampa Bay Times, "The St. Petersburg Police Department has closed its investigation into what congressional candidate Anna Paulina Luna said were threats made against her by political rival William Braddock and will take no action in the case." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/1/21]
2021: Police Reported William Braddock's Alleged Threats Against Luna Were Conditional According to Tampa Bay Times, the police report stated that "comments were 'conditional in nature as Braddock mentions the 'hit squad' scenario will only happen if Luna polls ahead of him,' the report says. 'Due to the conditional nature of the threats made by Braddock, it was determined that no probable cause exists at this time.'" [Tampa Bay Times, 7/1/21]
2021: Luna's Spokesperson Stated Police Decision Did Not Affect Need For Injunction According to Tampa Bay Times, Luna's spokesperson James Blair said "The local law enforcement decision whether to prosecute Mr. Braddock under state law for his threats (against) Ms. Luna is very different from whether he should be prevented from getting close enough to her to carry through on those threats." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/1/21]
2021: Anna Paulina Luna's Petition Linked Braddock's Alleged Conduct To Other Political Rivals According to Tampa Bay Times, "In Luna's petition for a temporary injunction, she said that she'd gotten word that Braddock had said he was working alongside other political rivals Matt Tito and Amanda Makki." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/1/21]
Anna Paulina Luna Alleged That Braddock Planned To Kill Her And Worked With Other Political Rivals According to Tampa Bay Times, "When Luna filed the initial injunction, she said she had been contacted with information that Braddock was planning to kill her. She said that, based on the information she received, Braddock had said he was working alongside other political rivals Matt Tito and Amanda Makki." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/9/21]
2021: St. Petersburg Police Did Not Find Probable Cause To Arrest Braddock For Threats Against Luna According to Tampa Bay Times, "A St. Petersburg Police Department investigation into the reported threats found no probable cause for arrest." [Tampa Bay Times, 7/9/21]
2025: Anna Paulina Luna Stated She Publicly Refuted False Story And Called Out Defamation In an interview with Fox News, Anna Paulina Luna said, "I actually nuked the report that came out. And I said, this is not what happened. They ended up getting fact checked how to update the report. But the fact is, is that if you're going to attack someone's marriage, if you're going to defame a sitting Congresswoman, the President of the United States, on the name of what political propaganda, it's wrong." [Interview - Anna Paulina Luna with Fox News, 3/20/25]
2023: Turning Point USA And Anna Paulina Luna Threatened Legal Action Against MSNBC For Defamation According to Free Press (Tampa, Florida), "The group threatened to sue if MSNBC did not issue a retraction, asserting the claim hurt its reputation, members, and sponsors." [Free Press (Tampa, Florida), 1/15/23]
February 2023: Anna Paulina Luna Stated Her Attorneys Issued Letters Of Correction To Multiple Outlets According to Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME, Anna Paulina Luna stated, "My attorneys already issued a letter of correction. Washington Post didn't respond to a response from Fox Digital, nor did any of the other people that made these bizarre allegations. And, we will be issuing these letters to correct, to Vanity Fair and a few other major outlets decided to run with the story before they corrected the facts." [Fox News JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME 7:00 PM EST, 2/10/23]
September 2020: Anna Paulina Luna Threatened Legal Action Against Twitter Over Verification Denial According to Tampa Bay Times, "Congressional candidate Anna Paulina Luna [...] is threatening to sue Twitter because it hasn't verified her account. She says the social media company is censoring her voice." [Tampa Bay Times, 9/16/20]
2020: Anna Paulina Luna's Campaign Asserted She Met Verification Requirements According to Tampa Bay Times, "Luna says she's done all that, and her campaign for Florida's 13th Congressional District reached out again after she won the August primary. Still, her account remains without the blue check mark." [Tampa Bay Times, 9/16/20]
September 2020: Luna Threatened To Sue Twitter Over Account Verification According to Tampa Bay Times, "Congressional candidate Anna Paulina Luna, who last month secured the Republican nomination to take on U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist in November, is threatening to sue Twitter because it hasn't verified her account. She says the social media company is censoring her voice." [Tampa Bay Times, 9/17/20]
2020: Luna Claimed Twitter Refused Verification Despite Meeting Requirements According to Tampa Bay Times, "Luna says she's done all that, and her campaign for Florida's 13th Congressional District reached out again after she won the August primary [...] 'I do believe that they're doing it because they don't want someone like myself to have a voice or a platform,' said Luna, an Air Force veteran." [Tampa Bay Times, 9/17/20]
2020: Twitter Cited Rule Violations As Reason For Verification Ineligibility According to Tampa Bay Times, "In a March 6 email to Luna, a screenshot of which Luna tweeted out, Twitter wrote 'If a Twitter account engages in, or has engaged in, activity that violates the Twitter Rules, it may be ineligible for verification or subject to enforcement action.'" [Tampa Bay Times, 9/17/20]
2023: Luna Denied Washington Post Claims And Criticized Media Coverage According to Tampa Bay Times, "Luna has blasted the Post in dozens of tweets, calling the story 'BS.' Her office has raised numerous issues with the story, which has been amended twice since its publication." [Tampa Bay Times, 2/14/23]