Last week, Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe sent a short video to a dozen South Florida media outlets that he alleged depicted Miami Beach Commissioner Laura Dominguez , a Democrat, engaging in a backroom deal to manipulate voters.

He sold it as something of a smoking gun. She said it’s more of a misfire.

Without additional context, the blurry, 28-second clip might seem troublesome.

In it, Dominguez can be heard saying to several people, including two Miami Beach employees who oversee economic development, that builders seeking project approval should pay for political mailers ahead of the city’s Nov. 4 election.

“This recording shows how residents are being played. It should be investigated criminally and in civil court,” Basabe said in a statement, adding that voters should “clean h

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